


It's where my demons hide

by Littleredridinghunter



Category: Supernatural, Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Derek, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Asshole Rafael McCall, BAMF Stiles, Child Abuse, Dark, Demonic Possession, Demons, Derek Hale Takes Care of Stiles Stilinski, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Eternal Sterek, Hurt Stiles, Lots of Angst, M/M, Magical Stiles Stilinski, OTP Feels, Oblivious Stiles, Pack Bonding, Pack Feels, Past Child Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Past Sexual Abuse, Rafael deserves to die multiple times, Scarred Stiles, Scott McCall & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, Seriously Dark, Slow Build Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Stiles Needs a Hug, Stiles Stilinski is Part of the Pack, Stiles needs all the hugs, Stiles-centric, Tattooed Stiles Stilinski, a long time before the happy ending, don't read if abuse upsets you, minor dean/cas - Freeform, stiles is basically a winchester, the pack take care of stiles eventually
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2018-06-20
Packaged: 2019-05-26 00:21:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 16
Words: 167,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14988704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Littleredridinghunter/pseuds/Littleredridinghunter
Summary: Stiles was used to his life going to hell. He'd just never expected it to be quite so literal.When Rafael McCall returns to Beacon Hills after a five year absence it brings back lots of unhappy memories for Stiles, he'll do whatever he can to keep his secrets buried in order to protect those closest to him.With Rafael's return Stiles discovers that secrets are always revealed, even if this particular time it's because of supernatural interference.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place around Season 3 TW, except Derek stays the Alpha and Stiles never gets possessed by the Nogitsune. Around season 9 of Supernatural, the boys are like surrogate brothers to Stiles by the end. 
> 
> Everyone lives, nobody dies, except those who totally deserve it.
> 
> This fic is dark. I'm giving you fair warning now. There are several parts where it discusses child abuse/rape/torture. Do NOT read if these trigger you. 
> 
> On a different note, I have never experienced anything like what is written in this fic, I've tried to keep it as realistic as possible, but, I'm not sure if Stiles reacts as people who have actually been through this kind of trauma would react. I apologise in advance if anyone feels that Stiles reacts incorrectly but I've tried to write it in a way that felt right to me. 
> 
> I'd love to know what people think, if there's anything I can do to improve writing techniques etc.

Stiles’ life had gone to hell the moment Rafael McCall waltzed back into town, just as he’d been starting to put all that shit behind him, or so he told himself, repeatedly. But the reason that Rafael was back was probably worse, well, no, definitely worse. 

Admittedly Stiles was kind of used to his life going to hell, he’d been eight when his mom died, it had been a long, drawn-out, painful death, not for her, not really, by the end she didn’t really even know what had been going on. Stiles was grateful for that. That she wasn’t in any pain. But, he’d started to lose her when he was seven and she had forgotten his name, it wasn’t until she had actually died a few days after his eighth birthday that he could admit the mom he had known had been gone for a long time. 

After that, well, there were four years of his life that he didn’t ever speak about, where he went through hell, where he begged for it to end, and his dad was too busy drowning his grief at the bottom of the bottle to notice and Scott was too young and innocent to understand, and Stiles didn’t know who to turn to, he was trying to protect them from the danger, protect them from the knowledge, and, then, well, finally that period of his life was over and he’d never mentioned it to anyone, there was never any reason to and Stiles had survived so it didn’t matter. 

It wasn’t like those four years had been all bad, there had been good moments, moments where his dad was sober and they spent the day together, where his dad noticed for the first time that Stiles had shaved his hair, gone from his usual dark hair to a buzzcut, when he commented on it Stiles had shrugged and lied, telling him it was less work than when it was long and stuck up in a hundred different directions. They went to the pool sometimes, but Stiles always kept a shirt on, when Noah queried that, Stiles lied again, telling him he was cold or something equally as idiotic, he couldn’t bear for his dad to see the bruises and learn the truth. He felt like all he did was lie now, every other sentence he spoke was a lie to one person or another.

Noah worried that his son was getting to be aware of his body and wasn’t happy that he was lean and thin rather than broad like Scott, Stiles was good looking though, Noah admitted that without bias, he looked a lot like his mother, dark haired, pale skinned, full lips and gorgeous amber eyes that were the exact replica of his mother’s, sometimes it hurt too much to look at them, knowing he’d never see his wife’s eyes again, Noah was the opposite, blonde haired, blue eyed, tall, broad, solid, dependable, whereas Claudia and Stiles were both a bit flaky when they wanted, they’d sometimes forget to eat if they were wrapped up in a project, when Claudia had gotten sick they’d had to remind her to eat and it had broken Noah’s heart. Noah noticed then how thin Stiles was, he looked too thin and too pale and he had dark bags under his eyes, he swore to himself to do better, to keep a better eye on Stiles, except when they’d arrived home and Claudia wasn’t there to greet him, the loss hit him again, and any promise he’d made to himself was forgotten by the time he had his third drink of the evening. 

If Noah was honest with himself he wasn’t sure how he would have gotten through those first few years without Melissa and Rafael, they’d been a godsend. Stiles had always been a difficult child, too hyperactive, his mind racing with a thousand questions that Noah hadn’t known the answers too. Claudia could handle it, always giving Stiles something else to think about, running her fingers through his hair as he sat on her lap and smiling at him in adoration when he came up with the answer to his query himself. When Claudia was gone Noah struggled, not just with the loss but with Stiles. Stiles had become withdrawn and quiet and then at other times he was so overly clingy it would drive Noah insane, Stiles always muttering about wanting to protect him, wanting him safe, not wanting anything to happen to him, that he couldn’t lose him. Noah tried to reassure him as best he could but nothing ever seemed to help. 

It had reached its worst point when Stiles was nearly ten and Noah was shot. He wasn’t supposed to be there, he should have finished his shift an hour before, he was supposed to be spending an evening with Stiles, apparently the kid wanted to talk to him about something important, he’d promised he’d pick Stiles up from Melissa’s after his shift, and then he’d gotten a call over the radio about a possible break in. He’d sighed heavily, knowing it was his job and he’d have to go do it, he’d barely gotten out of the car when the bullet hit him, he didn’t even see the shooter. He hit the ground hard, the only thought in his mind was that he was going to leave Stiles without either parent. 

He’d woken up in the hospital a few hours later, Stiles was curled up in the chair next to his bed, tear tracks marking his cheeks, he looked exhausted, terrified and so small that it made Noah’s chest ache. 

“Stiles.” He muttered, raising his hand to reassure Stiles, ignoring the dull throb in his side from where the bullet had hit him.

“Dad!” Stiles’ eyes darted up to his, grabbing onto his hand and gripping it tightly. “Oh, thank god, dad, are you okay?” 

“I’m fine kiddo, are you?”

“I’m fine dad, I’m not the one who was shot.” Stiles said, fresh tears running down his cheeks. “I’m sorry, god, I’m so sorry dad.”

“I’m okay, kid, I’m okay, it’s not your fault, I’m okay.” Noah reassured him, tugging him closer and holding him tightly. “It’s okay, I’m okay.” He held on to him until Stiles’ tears dried up. 

Thankfully the bullet hadn’t hit any major organs, it had torn through his side and gone clean through, the doctors said he was lucky, the shooter had either been a poor shot or it had deliberately not been supposed to kill him. It took him six weeks before he was fit to go back to work, for the two that he was in the hospital Melissa and Rafael invited Stiles to stay with them, which Noah thanked them for repeatedly. 

Noah seriously considered not going back to work, he could have died and he could have left Stiles without any parents, admittedly after Claudia had died he’d changed his will so that Melissa and Rafael would have custody of Stiles if anything happened to him, so he knew Stiles would be looked after, but, the idea of Stiles of having neither of his real parents around, it made Noah think about giving up his career. 

“Hey Stiles, I need to talk to you.” Noah said, sitting Stiles on the couch and looking at him seriously, Stiles sat down, looking at him nervously, practically twitching with nervous energy. “I’ve been thinking, about, well, I’m thinking about stopping being a cop.” 

“What? Why?” Stiles said, staring at his dad in wonder.

“Well, Stiles, I love being a cop, but I love you more, and, I wouldn’t want to put you through…” 

“Dad, stop.” Stiles said seriously, “I know how much you love your job, and, I know you love me. But, I love you too, and, I’m not going to let you stop doing what you love because of me.” Noah looked at him and smiled fondly.

“When did my son get so grown up?” Noah teased and Stiles knocked their shoulders together. “Hey, kid, before all of this, you wanted to talk to me about something important?” Noah asked and Stiles tensed.

“Oh, yeah, that, it doesn’t matter.” Stiles replied.

“Are you sure? You know you can talk to me…”

“No, you know what us kids are like, it was important then, it’s not important now.” Stiles said dismissively. “The important thing is that you are getting better and then you are getting back to work. This town needs you, and I’m not going to be the one to stand in the way of justice.” He grinned and Noah laughed.

“Alright kid, if you say so.” He smiled, patting him on the back and only making a slight groan of pain as he got up to make himself another cup of coffee.

Not long after that Stiles had begged and pleaded with Noah that he was old enough to look after himself and that he didn’t need to go to Scott’s house every night after school. Noah had finally relented, terrified that he would get home and find Stiles had burned the house down, instead, when he mentioned it to Melissa and Rafael, Rafael offered to call in on him and check he was okay. Noah shouldn’t have worried, he arrived home to find a meal cooked and sat on the table for him, Stiles sitting and looking a little awkward at the table, shooting Rafael nervous glances until Noah slid into the opposite seat and invited Rafael to join them. Noah poured himself a drink, barely noticing that Stiles hardly touched a bite of his food and had excused himself early to go do his homework.

Within two weeks Stiles was begging to go back to Scott’s every night, telling Noah that he was bored by himself all the time and he wanted to spend time with his best friend. Noah hadn’t thought any more of it and had grinned easily at him as he agreed, shaking his head fondly at his son’s actions.

Melissa spoke quietly to Noah at Scott’s twelfth birthday, whispered brokenly how she thought that Rafael might be having an affair and she wasn’t sure what to do about it. Noah had given her a gentle hug and promised that he’d speak to him as soon as he could, try and find out what was going on. Stiles’ birthday was in three weeks and Noah knew he’d see the man then, if not before, he couldn’t believe Rafael would cheat, he seemed like a good man, but, Melissa didn’t seem like the type of woman who would come up with this theory out of nowhere. 

Noah never got the chance to talk to Rafael about it, a week after Scott’s birthday there had been an accident, well, he wasn’t sure if it was an accident. Melissa had rung him in tears from the hospital, telling him that Stiles was fine, just a little shaken, but Scott had a broken arm and a concussion. She was coming home from work and could hear shouting, she opened the door in time to see Scott falling down the stairs, Rafael standing at the top, his features full of rage and Stiles standing a few steps behind him looking completely terrified. Rafael had insisted it was an accident and Scott didn’t remember anything from about half an hour before the fall. When Noah had tried to talk to Stiles about it, ask him what Scott and Rafael had been arguing about, Stiles had pressed his lips tightly together, turned white as a sheet and had run from the room. 

In the end it didn’t matter, Rafael had left the house by the time they returned home, his belongings gone and a note that simply said he was sorry and he’d be in touch. Stiles had looked so relieved at that, Noah had wanted to ask him what the argument had been about, wanted to know so badly that he was considering locking Stiles in the room until he got an answer but he knew it wouldn’t make things any better, and, besides, Scott was okay, other than the broken arm, Stiles was doodling happily on the cast, telling Scott how cool it was and how everyone would want to be his friend now and Scott grinning and telling him that Stiles was the only friend he wanted and Noah decided to leave it, it wasn’t important. Scott was okay and Stiles was okay and that was all that mattered. 

Scott had gone to stay with Rafael a few times over the next few years, he’d always ask Stiles to come with him, even if he was just going for a couple of nights, but Stiles always said no, insisting it was important that Scott spend time with his dad just the two of them, that they were father and son and they needed time alone. Scott always gave him a grin and a hug and left, returning a few days later and telling Stiles how much fun he’d had and how he was glad it was just the two of them and how great his dad was. Melissa hadn’t told Scott that his father was responsible for his broken arm and Noah and Stiles had both agreed with her wishes, wanting Scott to have a healthy relationship with his father if that was at all possible. 

Time had gone on and Stiles’ life had continued to have its ups and downs, he met Lydia Martin when he was thirteen and announced to Scott that she was the woman he was going to marry, Scott had shaken his head in bemusement but supported Stiles’ unrequited crush as only a best friend could. Stiles didn’t admit to Scott that he’d only decided on Lydia because she would never be interested in him, and having people believe that he was in love with someone completely unattainable was better than anyone knowing the truth. In all honesty, he liked Lydia, he thought she was brilliant and smart and could end you with a single look, but, he didn’t love her, not in the sense that he knew he was supposed to. 

When he was fifteen Erica Reyes came and sat with him and Scott at lunch, looking completely terrified the entire time until she’d finally blurted out that she liked Stiles and did he want to go on a date.

“Erica, you know I like you, but, my heart already belongs to Lydia.” Stiles replied with a charming smile and Erica snorted with amusement.

“Stiles, she has never even spoken to you.” Scott sighed rolling his eyes.

“That means nothing. A princess rarely talks to the paupers on the street, but, one day, I’ll win her heart. It’s just a long-term plan.” He grinned at Erica.

“Suddenly, you are not as attractive.” Erica replied with a laugh and Stiles laughed with her. That moment might not have started the relationship that Erica wanted but it was the start of a great friendship, Erica sat with them more often, not every day, but most days. Occasionally she brought some of her other friends along, she didn’t have very many, being an epileptic in high school was tough on her, not many people wanted to be friends with the girl who could have a seizure any second of the day. Still, she was friends with Isaac Lahey and Vernon Boyd, both were very quiet, Boyd seemed comfortable with the silence, but Isaac always looked nervous, like he was waiting for someone to yell at him. Stiles recognised the look in his eyes and he hated it.

It took him three months before he got enough evidence against Isaac’s father to put him behind bars, he’d been sneaky about it, after all, he didn’t want to lose Isaac’s trust, so, he’d snuck out at night and taken photographs that proved Isaac was being abused, then he’d posted them, along with a printed explanation, careful to avoid leaving any DNA on the envelope, and they’d arrived on his father’s desk two days later. By the end of the shift Isaac’s father was in the cells and Isaac was talking to a social worker about being moved into foster care, Isaac seemed nervous but relieved and Stiles was so glad he’d been able to help him. He didn’t want anyone to have that look in their eyes, not ever, not if he could help it.

Erica had a seizure at school a few days after that, Stiles had been nearby and he’d managed to hide her from view for the most part, he hadn’t gotten there quick enough to stop some people filming it, filming her wetting herself, he wanted to go and smash the phones but his instincts told him he had to stay with Erica until it was over. When she finally came around a few minutes later Stiles had covered her with his jacket and smiled at her softly.

“Hey Catwoman, how are you doing?” 

“I’m alright.” Erica sniffled, taking in her appearance and laughter echoing down the hall from what Stiles had no doubt was a copy of the video, Erica looked on the verge of tears, her face flushing red in embarrassment and Stiles gritted his teeth, helping her to her feet and getting her to the nurses’ office. “Thanks batman.” Erica muttered when the nurse insisted he leave and Stiles nodded tightly, waiting until the door had been shut in his face to begin planning his vengeance. 

The kid who had filmed the whole thing and then spread it around the school never saw Stiles’ revenge coming. To say he was too embarrassed to come into school for a week was an understatement, Stiles never claimed responsibility for that particular prank, mainly because he wanted the guy to worry about if and when it might happen again, and, if he knew it was Stiles then he might be able to avoid it. Besides, Stiles wasn’t sure how Erica would react to finding out that Stiles had defended her honour like that, she would probably be mad at him, telling him she could defend herself just fine, and he didn’t want her mad at him. He just wanted her happy.

Boyd smiled more the more time he spent with them at lunchtimes, occasionally talking about his classes or his grandma while Erica stared at him with awe-filled eyes, Stiles didn’t need to be a genius to realise that Erica’s crush on him was long over. Boyd always seemed so sure of himself, or so Stiles thought, it wasn’t until he overheard some comments from the other lacrosse players that were directed at Boyd, that he was a freak, that his parents would rather die than live with a freak like him, that Stiles saw red. 

He made sure that Boyd didn’t know he’d overheard and left the locker rooms, already planning his next revenge, because, like hell was he going to let anyone give the people he cared about shit. No, they were Stiles’ to protect, and, okay, he couldn’t fight them, he knew his limits and fighting wasn’t one of them, but, pranks, pranks he could do with ease. The three boys that had called Boyd a freak couldn’t sit properly for three weeks, scratching themselves raw in places, and, although they had no idea who was responsible, they knew better than to ever say anything like that to Boyd again. 

Scott was still his best friend, his brother in all but blood, but, Stiles kind of liked having other friends, even if they didn’t spend that much time together outside of school, he could still have people to sit with on days where Scott’s asthma had resulted in a bad attack, he could still sit and have a conversation with the other three and smile widely and not feel like he was broken in every way possible. 

Of course, it all went to hell when Scott got bitten by a werewolf, an actual freaking werewolf, because those things exist! Stiles figured it out first, the way he always did, and the next few months were filled with helping Scott control his wolf and running for his life, which, somehow, usually involved Derek Hale.

Derek Hale had left town with his sister Laura when Stiles was ten, he hadn’t really been aware of the situation, not really, he’d had his own things going on, he remembered hearing about it though, the Hale family had all burned to death in a fire. Laura and Derek survived unharmed and their uncle Peter had been left burned badly and hospitalised, Laura and Derek had left town a few days later and they hadn’t been heard from since. Until a body was found in the woods, well, half of a body, that belonged to Laura Hale, it was while Scott and Stiles were out looking for the other half of the body that Scott was attacked and bitten by a werewolf. Derek had reappeared a few days later when Scott and Stiles were out looking for Scott’s inhaler. 

When Stiles figured out that Derek Hale was also a werewolf, that his whole family had been, it was a bit of a shock, but he got over it pretty quickly. He felt responsible for Derek in some way, maybe because, although his face never showed it, his eyes always gave away the grief and fear he was feeling, Derek was in over his head, he’d just lost his sister and he was determined to stop the Alpha that had bitten Scott and most likely killed his sister, despite the fact he knew it was a fight he’d probably lose. Stiles wanted to protect him, he didn’t want to see Derek suffer any more, he’d already suffered enough, so, he made it his task to protect Derek as best as he could, to help him however and whenever he could, which is how he found himself facing down a half-crazed Alpha werewolf, also known as Derek’s uncle Peter. 

Stiles, well, he wasn’t going to say he was attracted to Derek, because he knew that wasn’t something he ever wanted to happen, he knew he was too much of a mess to be able to be in a relationship, but, he couldn’t deny that Derek was attractive, he had beautiful green eyes and adorable bunny teeth that were usually hidden behind a scowl, he was tall and broad and he radiated strength and safety. Stiles truly believed he’d always be safe with Derek, he could trust him to try and protect Stiles, even if Stiles wasn’t sure that Derek didn’t want to kill him half the time too.

They defeated Peter, but it had been a close thing, Lydia had been attacked but thankfully she didn’t seem to have been turned and then Derek became Alpha, not before Peter had murdered Kate Argent, the woman (hunter) responsible for murdering their family in the fire previously. That brought a whole new world of difficulties, Stiles shouldn’t have been surprised when Derek not only decided to add to his pack, but to choose the three other people in this whole world that Stiles got on with, Isaac, Erica and Boyd. In Derek’s defence, he’d given them the option, rather than the surprise bite that Scott had been handed, and he’d informed them of the dangers, but, they’d still gone for it, Isaac because he wanted to feel strong, Erica because she wanted to be healthy and Boyd because he didn’t want to be alone. 

Stiles tried not to be disappointed that Derek never asked him, he figured it was because Derek knew how broken he was and didn’t want to have to deal with him on a daily basis. What Stiles hadn’t expected was for Jackson, Lydia’s douche boyfriend, to figure out about werewolves and demand the bite as well or else he’d tell everyone what they were. What Stiles really hadn’t expected was for Derek to agree to it. Jackson had dumped Lydia, leaving her devastated and then received the bite from Derek, which, when it didn’t appear to have worked, annoyed him and made him crawl back to Lydia, who, in Stiles’ opinion, could do one hundred thousand times better. 

When a kanima started attacking people it became obvious that it had to be Lydia or Jackson because they were the only two that had been bitten but not turned. Stiles had spent weeks trying to figure out what was attacking people, paralysing them and killing them, it had been him that figured out it was a kanima and had rushed to tell Derek and try not to be annoyed that Derek practically dismissed him as soon as he had the information, it was as if Derek didn’t want Stiles around now he had his new pack and Stiles had swallowed down all the hurt he was feeling and left. The one thing he had learned was how to control his emotions, he’d always been good at it before, but, now, with werewolves around, he’d have to keep them on an even tighter leash. He smiled when he felt like falling apart, he was loud when he knew they’d notice if he was too quiet, yeah, he was a master at deceiving them, at deceiving everyone, but, he’d had a lot of practice.

Gerard Argent, Kate’s father, had turned up and become their principle and if that wasn’t enough of a mess, Scott was involved in an on again off again relationship with Gerard’s granddaughter, Allison, who hadn’t known about werewolves until Kate had dragged her into it. Scott had changed since he’d become a werewolf, Stiles wasn’t going to deny it, Scott was in love with Allison which was fine, but, he excluded Stiles from a lot of things and Stiles was left on his own, a lot, especially since the others had been turned, it gave him too much time to think, too much time to dwell on how damaged and fucked up he was and he hated it, he’d find himself wishing for something drastic to happen so he could lose himself in the adrenaline and not have to think about anything else for a while. 

Jackson turned out to be the kanima, which didn’t really surprise Stiles because he’d always thought the guy was a bit of a snake, but personal opinions apparently didn’t count for much, especially because Jackson was being controlled by Gerard. Lydia turned out to be something supernatural, even though they weren’t sure what, but she somehow brought Peter back from the dead so she had to be something powerful. Peter wasn’t as crazy as he was last time he was alive and Stiles was relieved about that, he didn’t really feel like helping to kill him again. 

Gerard decided to kidnap Erica and Boyd when they’d planned to run off together, the idea of hunters after them scaring them into leaving Derek, Stiles wound up captured as well, taken off the lacrosse pitch and beaten to within an inch of his life, thankfully Erica and Boyd had been unconscious for that, so they didn’t know that he’d been the one to get them out, to get them to safety in a house he knew was abandoned and where they’d be safe while they healed, he didn’t want them to know anyway, they’d probably only laugh about how he was the weak human, the one Derek hadn’t even thought to offer the bite to. He’d left them there, hurrying to go help Scott and Derek who were taking on Jackson and Gerard, he grabbed Lydia and arrived in time to stop Jackson from killing Derek and Scott, Gerard escaped but Derek and Peter managed to turn Jackson into a real werewolf and Stiles was allowed to go home, put his head on his desk and sob about how much he hurt without any of the others being aware. Sometimes he wished he wasn’t so good at hiding things, sometimes he wished anyone paid enough attention to notice. 

He'd spent the summer recovering, things had been quiet, up until Derek had fallen through his window, fully wolfed out, without becoming an actual wolf which was apparently a thing he’d be able to do once he gained full control, if the books Stiles had been reading were to be believed. Usually, Stiles would be able to handle this, except not only had Derek fallen through the window looking like some creature from the fairy tales, he was also covered in blood and wounds that were only just beginning to heal, and, most importantly, Stiles’ dad was stood in the doorway of his room as he’d just been asking Stiles if everything was okay before he left for his shift.

Noah’s natural instinct was to go for his gun, which he did, Derek’s natural instinct was to protect the human boy behind him, which he did, which is how Stiles ended up shoved roughly against a wall with a snarling werewolf protecting him from his own dad.

“Derek, chill out, it’s my dad.” Stiles said as calmly as he could.

“Derek? Derek Hale!? That thing is Derek Hale?” Noah shouted in shock, the barrel of his weapon still pointed at Derek’s chest.

“Dad, lower the gun, he’s not going to hurt you.” Stiles reasoned.

“It’s not me I’m worried about. Stiles, come here, slowly, don’t make any sudden movements.” Noah tried, taking a step forward and freezing when Derek growled again.

“Dad, in case you haven’t noticed, a freaking strong werewolf is pinning me to the wall, I’m not moving any time soon, so, lower the gun and then Derek will stop freaking out and I can get rid of the pesky claws that are starting to dig in.” Stiles said pointedly and Noah dropped his gun quickly, Derek glanced at him guiltily, withdrawing his claws and shifting back to his human form, it was definitely easier on the eyes, although, Stiles did love his eyes glowing alpha red, it made him feel safe. 

“Sorry.” Derek muttered and Stiles nodded tightly.

“So, Derek, to what do I owe the pleasure? I assume these injuries mean our time of peace and quiet is over and the new big bad is in town?” Stiles asked casually, heading to the bathroom as he talked to get the first aid kit so he could patch Derek up.

“Werewolves Stiles!? Are we not going to discuss the fact that there is a werewolf standing in your room!?” Noah shouted and Stiles winced.

“Yeah, sure pops, what do you want to know?” Stiles replied and Noah stared at him in horror.

“You’re not even going to attempt to deny it? Tell me my eyes have gone bad or something?” Noah said calming down significantly and slumping on to the bed.

“I’m not an idiot dad, neither are you. I figured you’d find out eventually, you’re too smart not to, but, I hoped to keep it from you as long as I could, protect you from this world as long as I could. I also hoped to break it to you gently, but, thanks to the Alpha here, that option is long gone. So, what’s the point in lying to you?” Stiles answered maturely, talking to his dad keeping his mind busy so that he only half focused on the wounds across Derek’s chest.

Needless to say Noah didn’t end up going to his shift that night, instead the night was spent catching him up on everything, (everything from Derek’s point of view not Stiles’) that had happened since the night Scott was first bitten, along with the information that Derek had been seeing Kate Argent when she burned his house down, she’d used him for the information and then murdered his family, Derek hadn’t been exactly forthcoming with that information and Stiles could understand why, he’d reached out and touched Derek’s arm gently, telling him silently that he was here if he needed him, Derek glanced at him gratefully and Stiles felt an odd tug in his stomach, he let go pretty quickly after that. 

Eventually Derek explained that his injuries had been caused by an Alpha pack, because, apparently things weren’t already messed up enough in their lives, there was such a thing as a pack of Alpha’s that went around killing other werewolves for their powers and gaining strength after each kill.

The rest of the summer was spent running for his life from the Alpha pack on several occasions, how none of them had died yet was a mystery to him, the only thing he could be grateful for was that, now his dad was in the know, the Stilinski household had turned into a base of operations and Stiles never had to worry about being alone, he thought he’d like it, having somebody around all the time, but, honestly, pretending he was fine all the time was exhausting, the only time he got to be by himself was late at night and that’s when his imagination usually went into overdrive, which was also around the time that he’d decide it made perfect sense to go out for a run in the middle of the night. He briefly thought about if the Alpha pack caught him while he was out on one of these runs, he wondered how long before anyone would notice, he wondered if anyone would ever notice, probably not until they needed something from him. 

By the time school rolled back around, Stiles was running a few miles most nights and feeling better for it, even if the pack always told him he looked like shit when they came around the next day. Jackson was particularly vocal about that fact, Peter looked at Stiles like he was prey and Stiles was reminded so much of Rafael that it made him feel sick. He didn’t think he’d ever get along with Peter, but, now he wasn’t completely crazy and actually showed some remorse for killing Laura and biting Lydia and Scott, and trying to kill Derek, not to mention trying to bite and/or kill Stiles, not that anyone knew about that incident either, yeah Stiles was the king of secrets, Stiles could admit that Peter wasn’t a bad guy, not one hundred percent anyway.

The pack were all growing closer, Scott wasn’t quite an outsider anymore and he got on really well with Isaac which Stiles thought was good. Isaac was living with Derek and Peter at a loft, it wasn’t the prettiest place but it was a dependable home with his Alpha which was miles better than the foster home he had been living in and a million times better than when he’d been living with his dad. Erica and Boyd were dating, which didn’t surprise any of them, Jackson and Lydia were back together and stronger than ever, Allison and Scott were having a period of their relationship where they weren’t together, Stiles knew it wouldn’t last though. Peter and Derek were getting on with each other, Derek and Noah were talking, hell, even Peter and Noah were talking, it was just Stiles that felt left out, the way he always did, because he wasn’t pack and Derek didn’t want him as a pack member, it was just a happy accident that the Stilinski household was the only one that had heating and spare beds and food in the fridge and a parent that they didn’t have to hide everything from, (Scott’s mom Melissa was in the know, but, not about everything, not about all the dangers they’d faced, Scott thought it was better that way and Stiles wasn’t going to argue with him.)

The Alpha pack had left a few weeks after school started and Stiles thought that was an end to it, there hadn’t been a big showdown, no deaths, no violence, just a note left on his doorstep that they’d be back to see if anyone remained alive after what was coming. Stiles hadn’t known what the hell that meant, didn’t want to believe that it meant something worse than the Alpha pack was coming, didn’t want to believe that it was something they were afraid of, because, why the hell else would they leave? That’s when the murders started and Rafael reappeared in their lives.


	2. Chapter 2

Within the last six weeks there had been three murders, each victim had been killed by somebody close to them, somebody that they’d known in some way. Each murderer had been caught standing over the destroyed body and staring at it in horror, mumbling about how they hadn’t been able to stop themselves, hadn’t been able to control themselves, could barely remember it happening, but, the damage inflicted to each body made the Sheriff’s department believe that the murders hadn’t been a crime of passion, but, rather, a cold and calculated act that lasted several hours. 

Stiles had studied the case files, having his dad in the know about the supernatural made things a lot easier now, there was no more sneaking around behind his back and lying to him, in fact, their relationship was the best it had been since before his mom had died and Stiles loved that. When his dad had failed to get any kind of explanation as to why the murders had been committed he handed the files to Stiles and the pack in case there was any kind of supernatural elements. 

“Okay, so, what we know for definite is, the first murder occurred six weeks ago and was carried out by Rachel Adams, twenty-four, she killed a man she worked with, Mark Standish, nobody else they worked with thought they were overly close, but Rachel obviously got into his apartment in some way or another as there was no sign of forced entry.” Lydia began, flicking her hair over her shoulder as she read through the notes and Stiles nodded, snatching up the second case file and addressing the rest of the pack that were gathered in the living room.

“Murder number two was two weeks ago, suspect is Ben Evans, thirty-two, killed his mother, Amelia, he still lived with her so obviously he had a key, there’s nothing on file to suggest that there was any kind of issues within their relationship but neighbours have said they heard them arguing a lot recently and one of the chattier ones said she suspected that Amelia used to hit Ben as a child after his father left but there was no evidence and no charges were pressed.” Stiles explained to the pack at large before looking to his father to continue.

“Number three was yesterday, we arrested Marie Williams, eighteen, at the scene, victim was Andrew Crashley, her twelfth-grade teacher. Again, no sign of forced entry, murdered at his home, other students said he picked on Marie, but, nothing awful, no worse than he did to the rest of them too.” Noah explained. 

“And we’re sure all of these murders are connected?” Derek asked with a small frown on his lips.

“The victims were all killed in the same way, skinned alive and then their chests crushed. I’d say it was the exact same killer except we found three different people at each scene, covered in their victim’s blood, and they confessed, at least until they shut down completely. None of them can say why they did it, and each of them said they felt like they had no control over their own actions, it makes me think that there may be something supernatural behind this?” 

“Perhaps a witch?” Peter suggested and Derek nodded silently in agreement, “If they were being controlled by some kind of spell it may be that we could scent the residual magic on them? It probably will have faded from Rachel and Ben by now, but, if we can get in a room with Marie, then maybe we could rule a spell out?” 

“Well, once Rafael is done talking to her then I can see about getting you in.” Noah replied and Stiles and Scott both turned to look at him.

“Rafael is back?” Stiles blurted out at the same time as Scott said, “My dad is back in town?” 

“Yeah, he got back this morning, came straight to my office, demanded to see Marie, and was still talking to her when I left.” Noah admitted absent-mindedly. Stiles’ heart thudded too fast, he could see the wolves all looking at him in suspicion and he jumped up from the sofa, moving into the kitchen under the pretence of grabbing another drink while taking steadying breaths and trying to calm himself down, he couldn’t let them know, he wouldn’t be able to handle them knowing. 

“So, our victims have nothing in common.” He said as he walked back into the room, changing the subject away from Rafael, “And other than perhaps some form of grudge against their victims, our murderers have nothing in common either. If it is a witch, which Peter and Derek are going to go check, then we need to start thinking about a way to stop her casting any other spells, but, I think it would be a good idea to research anything else that could influence people into killing others, just in case it isn’t a witch, so, I’m going to head to the library and see what I can find.” Stiles said, shrugging into his jacket and moving to the door just as there was a knock at it, he opened it automatically, his mind freezing for a moment when he saw Rafael standing in front of him. 

The man hadn’t aged, or he didn’t appear to have, he was still tall, broad, dark hair, dark brown eyes and a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. 

“Stiles! Good to you see you son.” Rafael greeted warmly, pulling a shocked Stiles into a hug and then pulling back to study him with appraising eyes, “You’ve grown into a strapping young lad, haven’t you?” He grinned, letting go of Stiles to shake hands with Noah who was moving from his seat in the living room.

“Rafael, good to see you.” Noah said kindly and Rafael looked around the room at the pack assembled there before he noticed his son among them.

“Scott, hey kid, I wasn’t expecting to see you here.” Rafael said, moving to give Scott a hug and being slowly introduced to the rest of the pack as Scott beamed and stood proudly next to his dad, Stiles felt like he was going to throw up, taking slow breaths in an attempt to keep his emotions under control, the pack couldn’t know, they could never know. He tried to make a quiet exit, hoping to get to the library before it shut but as soon as he moved towards the door, Derek turned to look at him and the rest of the pack followed suit. 

“Stiles? You’re not still going out, are you? I’m sure we’ve got so much to catch up on?” Noah asked and Stiles shrugged. 

“I’ve got that, um, thing, that I need to do.” Stiles lied badly, he couldn’t be here, he couldn’t sit here and play happy families with that man, no, he couldn’t do it. 

“Come on Stiles, that can wait, my dad is back in town, it’s been years since you were last here, we could all go to that diner we used to go to on the corner of…”

“I’m really sorry, but, you know, it’s kind of urgent.” Stiles interrupted and Scott pouted, giving him the puppy dog eyes and Stiles was going to cave, he knew he was going to cave, but he also knew if he was here then he would be sick, he couldn’t be here, he couldn’t.

“Don’t worry Stiles, I know I was always busy when I was that age.” Rafael grinned conspiratorially with Noah, “I’m sure we’ll catch up soon.” He added and Stiles nodded, sure that his feet were lead and he was going to be sick long before he got out of the house, he turned quickly, knowing he needed to get out there before the panic attack that was starting completely overwhelmed him, “Oh, and, Stiles,” Rafael called and Stiles grimaced before he turned to look at him, “Nice hair, it suits you.” He grinned and Stiles felt himself pale, running a quick hand up to his hair and realising he hadn’t cut it in a while, meaning it was longer than usual, long enough to run his fingers through.

“Thanks.” He grunted before dashing out of the door, flinging himself in the jeep and driving like a maniac until he was far enough away from the house that he could pull over and let the panic attack overwhelm him, sucking in great lungfuls of air that didn’t seem to be able to reach his brain, tears streaming down his cheeks as he fought to get control of himself, because he wasn’t a kid anymore, he was seventeen and he could handle this, he could handle Rafael being back.

“Well, that was weird.” Isaac muttered from the corner of the living room and Rafael laughed brightly. 

“You know Stiles, he was always a bit weird, I assume he hasn’t grown out of that?” Rafael teased and Noah rolled his eyes in amusement.

“Yeah, well, you missed a lot.” Noah replied, “So, anyway, what can I do for you this evening Rafael?” 

“So serious, so soon.” Rafael grinned, “I just thought I’d swing by and say hi before I head to the hotel, I can’t believe the nearest one they could get me is twenty minutes outside of town, but, you know how these things go, but, I wanted to have a chat with you about the case,” He looked around at the pack, before turning back to Noah and lowering his voice, “About what Marie said when she finally spoke to me.”

“Oh right, well, sure, I was actually going to head back to the station in a few minutes, we could go back there?” Noah suggested, not willing to kick the pack out of what had become their second home. 

“Actually, I’m starving, do you mind if we go in the kitchen? We can talk privately and I can grab something to eat?” 

“Yeah, sure, that’s fine.” Noah replied easily, already moving towards the kitchen and smiling at the pack, knowing that everyone other than Lydia and Allison would be able to hear their conversation easily, and Jackson would tell Lydia what was being said, if he knew what was good for him. 

He pulled some of the lasagne Stiles had made for dinner last night from the fridge and portioned it up for Rafael, heating it up quickly and making the man a cup of coffee, he did look exhausted and Noah paused in his movements.

“You know, we’ve still got the spare room upstairs, if you want to crash here instead of the hotel, you’re welcome to, you know, be nearer the scene if there’s an emergency or something like that?” Noah offered and Rafael smiled winningly.

“Thanks Noah, that would be great.”

“Well, you’ll have to do your own washing, but, Stiles usually makes enough food to feed the five thousand so I’m sure there’ll be something left over for you.” Noah grinned and Rafael laughed, tucking into his lasagne with gusto and humming in appreciation.

“He’s improved. I remember when he couldn’t even make a piece of toast without burning it.” Rafael commented. 

“He still can’t.” Noah teased and then sighed quietly, “He’s a good kid though, he’s smart, he’s got a big heart, honestly, he’s, he’s the only reason I’ve been able to hold it together as well as I have, without him, well, I know, I know he was a bit of a pain in the ass when he was younger, but, he’s grown up, he’s, I’m proud of him, and of Scott, they’re both good men.”

“I can see that, you should be proud too, you did a good job of raising them, while I wasn’t around much.” 

“Melissa had a lot to do with that. Have you seen her yet?”

“No, not yet, I was going to swing by and see her once we were done here, but, like I said, I wanted to talk to you about Marie.”

“Right, yeah, sure, so, what happened?” Noah asked curiously.

“I spoke to her, at first she wouldn’t talk, refused to talk to me, but, I finally got her to break a couple of hours ago. She told me that she had been having a drink at a coffee shop in town when she felt ‘something’ overcome her, she said it felt like something else had taken over her body, was rooting around in her memories and then she kept thinking about her teacher, Mr Crashley, about how he was always so mean to her and it made her so mad, she was so angry and it was so unfair, so, she went to his house, despite the fact that she said she didn’t know where he lived, and killed him. She couldn’t stop herself, apparently, she watched, but, it was like someone else was doing it, she couldn’t control her body even though she said she wanted to stop, she didn’t want to kill him.”

“So you think, what? Mind control?” Noah suggested. 

“Well, I thought she was batshit crazy, but, then I went and spoke to the other two murderers, explained that there had been another murder and that the murderer had said she felt ‘out of control’, you should have seen their faces, they went white as sheets, starting blabbering about that was how it had been for them too, that they hadn’t wanted to do it, they couldn’t stop themselves, that they were out walking home or on their way to work and ‘something’ attacked them. I mean, I know it’s odd, but, what are the chances of all three murderers coming up with the exact same story when I know they haven’t spoken to each other? I think, I know how crazy this is going to sound, but, I think there’s somebody out there, somebody who is controlling these people in some way. Unless, am I going crazy? I mean, I don’t think I am, but, the only logical conclusion makes me think that I have to be crazy, right?” Rafael said, looking at Noah with an intense gaze before Noah sighed heavily and slumped in his chair.

“You’re not crazy, actually, I was thinking the same thing.” Noah admitted just as Scott appeared in the doorway.

“Hey son, do you mind giving us a minute? We’re still discussing the case.” Rafael said and Scott frowned.

“No, I need to tell you something, something important, and, it’s going to be a shock, but, I think it’ll help you understand some things that are going on.” Scott began nervously.

“Scott, are you sure about this?” Noah asked with wide eyes, unable to believe that Scott was going to confess to being a werewolf barely an hour after seeing his father for the first time in months. 

“Yeah, yeah, look, dad, the thing is, there are, um, things out there. Things that mean mind control isn’t as unlikely as you think.” Scott began, looking to Derek who had stood next to Scott in the doorway. 

“Mr McCall…” Derek began and Rafael smiled at him.

“It’s Rafael, please.” 

“Rafael, Scott and I, well, it’s easier to show you.” Derek said before he shifted, his eyes flashing red, his teeth elongated into fangs and his claws coming out. Rafael went for his gun and Noah grabbed his hand, letting go when Derek shifted back to human.

“Believe me I had the exact same reaction.” Noah commented and Rafael stared at him like he’d lost his mind.

“What…how…what are you?” Rafael stammered. 

“Werewolves.” Scott said, allowing his eyes to glow gold. 

“But, no, you, you’ve not always been a werewolf, have you?” Rafael asked.

“No. I was bitten about eighteen months ago. Derek helped me deal with it.” Scott explained.

“Stiles helped him really. I did a lot of glaring which didn’t really help that much.” Derek admitted sheepishly and Scott grinned. 

“Yeah, Stiles helped, a lot.” Scott amended.

“Is Stiles…is he, um, a werewolf?” Rafael asked.

“No. No, he’s human.” Scott said.

“So, werewolves are real? And, both of you are werewolves?”

“All of us are.” Peter said loudly from the living room and Rafael paled slightly. “Apart from Lydia and Allison.” He added and there were a few laughs from the other room.

“Right, right. I think, you’re going to have to start from the beginning here. Are you, do you have control? Do you kill people?” 

“No, look, why don’t we sit in the living room, I’ll explain everything to you, and, you can ask the whole pack any questions you want?” Scott suggested and Rafael nodded, taking the glass of whisky that Noah offered him gratefully and following them into the living room.

The next few hours were filled with questions and explanations, Rafael was finally satisfied that he knew everything, about werewolves enhanced senses, smell, hearing, speed, healing, and about how they did struggle for control, especially around the full moon, and, that’s why they had anchors. 

“And, anchors? They’re something personal to each of you?” Rafael asked and Derek nodded, ignoring the way Erica grinned from next to him.

“You should ask Derek what his is.” Erica teased and Derek growled at her. “What? I thought we were over this Derek? I thought now that we weren’t being ordered to avoid him that you’d finally admitted it, to yourself at least?” 

“Avoid him? Avoid who?” Scott asked in confusion.

“Stiles.” Peter sighed dramatically and Noah, Scott and Rafael looked at the rest of the pack in confusion. “It seems that out Alpha has taken quite a shine to him, but, because he’s an idiot who hasn’t got any idea how to use actual words, he decided it made more sense to try and keep Stiles out of this mess, so he ordered us all to stay away from him.” 

“I was trying to protect him.” Derek snapped. 

“Yeah, and that worked so well, other than me trying to kill him, other than Jackson attempting it a few times when he was the kanima, other than Scott losing control and trying to kill him, yes, he was definitely safer without the werewolves around who might actually be able to protect him in those scenarios.” Peter remarked sarcastically, ticking off each time Stiles had nearly been killed on his fingers and smirking at Derek.

“You and Stiles are involved?” Noah asked in shock. “But, he’s only seventeen?” 

“No, no, we’re not involved. Not like that. I just, I, he, I like him. But, I promise you, I won’t even mention it until he’s eighteen, and, maybe, maybe not even then. Stiles deserves better than this, he deserves better than fearing for his life every day, which is all that he’d get if he was with me.” 

“You’re being too hard on yourself.” Lydia said, “You’re a good Alpha Derek, and Stiles cares about you. I know he does.” 

“You mean when he’s not declaring his love for you, you mean?” Scott asked. 

“We all know he hasn’t done that in a while.” Lydia laughed. 

“So, you don’t think Stiles knows about these feelings you have?” Rafael asked and Derek nodded, “And, you don’t plan on acting on them? Not anytime soon?” 

“No. I wouldn’t.” Derek said seriously and Noah nodded. 

“I know you wouldn’t hurt him Derek, not in the same way that Kate did, I know you’re not the same person.” Noah said and Derek clenched his fists at the mention of Kate before he nodded gratefully. 

“So, I don’t get it, if you told everyone to avoid him, then, why are you all here?” Rafael asked.

“Well, when the Alpha pack attacked me, they, they hinted at going after the person I care about most, my mind went to Stiles, and, I didn’t want them coming anywhere near him, so I came here, and, when I got here, all I could think about was that Stiles was okay, he was safe, and I was missing out on what was going on in his life because I was trying to keep him safe, and, it, just, I gave up trying to fight it. I want to spend time with him, I want to talk to him, and, I don’t want to keep everyone else from their friend too.” Derek explained and Noah nodded in agreement. 

“You’re an idiot, but, I understand your heart was in the right place.” Noah said and Derek smiled timidly at him. 

“Thanks. I guess, does that mean, that, if I do say something to Stiles, that I, um, that you don’t mind?” Derek asked uncertainly. 

“It means that if my son is interested in you, I won’t argue with him about it. I guess he could do a lot worse.” Noah replied and Derek smiled genuinely in relief, it wasn’t the highest praise, but, he’d take it.

“Thank you.” Derek answered, feeling hopeful that maybe he stood a chance. 

Stiles didn’t drive to the library, not straight away, no, his first stop was the late-night barbers, getting his hair cut back into his usual buzzcut, running a hand through it reassuringly. It didn’t stop the tremors in his hands though. He took the roundabout route to the library, needing the extra time to settle himself. So Rafael was back? So what? It wasn’t like he was the same scared kid he’d been before. He was stronger now. Older. Braver. He’d faced down Alpha werewolves and Kanima’s and Darach’s, he could handle this. He wouldn’t let Scott lose his dad because of him. 

He spent the next few hours at the library, wanting to read as much information as he could before he had to leave and go home. He found some interesting things, he was pretty impressed by what his local library offered, but then he also figured since Beacon Hills seemed to be some kind of hellhole they couldn’t be the only people to be affected by the supernatural over the years. 

Eventually he knew he would have to go home, he just prayed that Rafael would have left by now, the thought of him made his breath stutter out of his lungs and Stiles took a few calming breaths, reminding himself that he was older and he could handle this. He carried out the several books he had collected throughout the evening and went out to the jeep, putting them on the passenger seat before turning on the ignition and heading home. 

Stiles bit his bottom lip when he saw there were still several cars parked outside the house, it meant that not only was the pack still here, but so was Rafael. He took a minute, pretending to get all the books and his notes together, pulling his hoodie up over his hair, while he worked on putting his mask on, he could do this, the most important thing was that they never find out. 

“I’m home!” He called out brightly as soon as he entered the front door, knowing there was no need to announce his presence, that the wolves would have already known he was approaching as soon as his jeep rumbled around the corner. 

“Did you find anything interesting?” Lydia called and Stiles shrugged, not wanting to say anything too crazy while Rafael was here. 

“We went down to the station.” Peter supplied, “Marie didn’t smell of any spell magic, so, either it had already faded, or, we’re looking for something else entirely.” Stiles stared at him in horror, unable to believe he’d just said that in front of Rafael. 

“Don’t worry Stiles, we told him everything. He deserved to know.” Scott said with a wide smile and Stiles nodded feeling numb, before he shook himself slightly, they couldn’t know, he reminded himself.

“That’s great news, I mean, less sneaking around which you know I’m totally against.” Stiles grinned, moving to the kitchen and grabbing himself a glass of water.

“So, what did you find?” Lydia pressed and Stiles shrugged again, needing to get Rafael out of his house now. 

“I’m not sure, I’ll probably need a few days to go through everything, but, I’ll let you guys know as soon as I have anything definite.” Stiles smiled, his cheeks feeling pained with the width of it. 

“Yeah, I suppose I had best be getting home, mom’s going to freak when I tell her you’re back, are you planning on staying long? If you’re staying here, then I could send her over in the morning?” Scott asked.

“I’m staying until the case is solved at the very least, yes, that’s still okay isn’t it Noah?” Rafael asked and Noah nodded in agreement, Stiles was rooted to the spot, Rafael was staying here? No, nope, that couldn’t happen, Stiles couldn’t stay in the same house as him, it wasn’t happening. 

“Crap, I totally left my wallet at the library.” Stiles winced, hoping nobody would pick up on the lie, he was getting better at it after all, “Hey, Scott, I’ll come with you, we can swing by the library and then I could crash at yours?” 

“Yeah, sure thing buddy. We best hurry though otherwise it’ll be closed.” Scott said and Stiles nodded.

“Okay, give me two minutes to grab some clean clothes.” He said, dashing upstairs and throwing a few clothes in a bag before rushing back downstairs and surprised to find everyone staring at him, “What?” 

“You shaved your hair again.” Peter pointed out and Stiles shrugged.

“Yeah, it was getting a little long.” He lied smoothly. 

“It suited you longer.” Peter added and Stiles shrugged, “You look tired Stiles, are you sure you’re okay?” Stiles burst into hysterical laughter, taking a moment to gather himself.

“Sorry, sorry.” He grinned, “But, honestly, if anyone had ever asked me that Peter Hale would be the first person to ask after my health, well, I would have died on the spot from sheer shock.” He teased, deflecting the question easily. “Anyway, hadn’t we better get going? See you tomorrow dad.” Stiles said, practically dragging Scott out of the door and to the jeep, giving his dad a brief hug goodbye.

“Dude, how weird is it that my dad is back in town? I mean, I never really found out why they split up, but, mom hasn’t dated anyone else since, and, I don’t know, is it crazy to think that maybe they’ll get back together?” Scott rambled and Stiles concentrated on the road.

“It’s so not crazy Scotty, any kid would want their parents back together if it was possible.” Stiles replied, knowing that he wasn’t going to be able to bear listening to Scott talk about his dad all night. “Dude, I don’t believe this, my wallet was in my pocket! Honestly, I’d lose my head if it wasn’t screwed on, I’ll drop you off and then head home, I’m sure you’ll want to fill your mom in on the fact your dad is back.” Stiles rambled.

“Yeah, cool, god, do you think she’ll be excited? Or do you think she’ll still be mad at him? She’s never said it, but, I think he did something to upset her before he left.” Scott answered and Stiles shrugged.

“I don’t know dude, but, I’m really happy for you, it’s great that you’ll get to spend some time with him and not have to lie to him about the whole furry thing.” Stiles said, choosing his words wisely so that he wasn’t lying. 

“I’ll see you at yours tomorrow then, yeah?” 

“Definitely.” Stiles grinned, smiling as Scott jumped out of the jeep and practically ran into his mom’s house, Stiles carried on smiling as he drove away, until he was sure that Scott couldn’t see him even if he did turn around to look and then he drove out to the preserve. He usually ran through town, skirted the preserve and then made his way back to the house, but, he didn’t want to be anywhere near the house tonight, he just wanted to run and forget about everything else. 

Running in the preserve was different than running through town, even though Stiles stuck to the paths it was still uneven under foot and he knew if he fell he wasn’t sure he’d be bothered about getting up, so, he slowed his pace, took his time, focusing on the path in front of him and forgetting about everything else. He ran until his mind had quietened and then he ran back to the jeep, forcing himself to keep moving until he decided to drive back to the library, it would be closed by now, but, that had never stopped him before and he could use the time to narrow down the possibilities of what their mystery murderer was. 

Breaking into the library was so easy it was pathetic, he moved across to the table he’d been sat at earlier, pulled several more books off the shelves and then began to read, making notes every time he found something he thought could be relevant. 

Stiles woke to the sound of his phone ringing, he blinked himself awake quickly, it was only just light outside and thankfully nobody had found him sleeping in the library, his phone rang again and Stiles answered it quickly.

“Hello?” 

“Stiles, where the hell are you? You were supposed to be staying at Scott’s and he’s here and he said you were supposed to be coming home last night?” His dad sounded equally worried and angry and Stiles winced. 

“Sorry, I was on my way home when I thought about another book I’d seen that I thought might be useful, I went back to the library and I must have got caught up.” Stiles lied, it was easy to lie over the phone at least.

“Where are you now?” 

“I’m still at the library. I’ll come home now, just give me ten minutes and I’ll be there.” Stiles said before he disconnected the call and gathered up the notes he’d written the night before, all of them led to one possibility and, if it was true, things really were going to Hell around here. 

He got home to find Scott, Noah, Rafael, Derek, Peter and Isaac all looking at him in annoyance. 

“Next time you decide to stay out all night you call one of us. Understand?” His dad practically growled and Stiles nodded pitifully. 

“Sorry.” He muttered, staring at the ground so he wouldn’t accidentally meet Rafael’s gaze. 

“Did you at least find something worthwhile?” Noah relented and Stiles nodded.

“Yeah, yeah, I think I did. I mean, I need to do some more research, there’s a lot of lore about it, but, yeah, I think I know what it might be, if it’s not a witch.” Stiles confirmed.

“So what is it?” Isaac asked impatiently.

“I think, um, it could be, a, um, demon?” Stiles muttered, biting his bottom lip as the looks of complete incredulity on their faces.

“A demon?” Peter asked.

“Yeah, I mean, they all said about ‘something’ overcoming them, attacking them, not being in control of their own body, possession fits, plus, the Alpha pack left town because they were afraid of something that was coming, or at least, I’m pretty sure that’s why, so, I don’t know much that spooks a werewolf, never mind a whole pack of Alpha’s, but from what I’ve read so far, demons are pretty much top of the food chain, other than angels of course, so, one comes to town and anything with any sense gets the hell out of dodge. But, there’s a lot of different types, and, yeah, it’s complicated, but, it makes sense, and I’m sort of hoping by the end of the day I’ll have found a way to at least know if it is a demon for definite.” Stiles rambled.

“What do you need?” Derek asked and Stiles looked at him surprised before he cleared his throat.

“At the moment, I need some peace and quiet to find something definite.” Stiles answered.

“Alright, we can do that. Do you want me to let Lydia know? She might be free to help you?” Derek suggested and Stiles shook his head, he didn’t want to be around Lydia right now, she was the only one who was probably smart enough to notice, if she paid him enough attention. 

“I’ll be fine, I’ve got this handled, besides, it might not be a demon, it could still be a witch. You guys should hunt down whatever leads you have and I’ll carry on with researching this.” He smiled, his cheeks hurting from the faked enthusiasm. 

Thankfully everyone left not long after that and Stiles took a deep breath clenching his fists, and then letting the breath out slowly and unclenching his fists, trying to ignore the fact that there was still a slight tremor in his fingers, before he went upstairs to his desk and began researching.

By the end of the day Stiles had read so much lore on demons his head was spinning, but, he had a list of things that he was ninety percent sure were accurate. To be really sure though he needed to speak to Rachel Adams, she was the first murderer and Stiles was almost certain that this whole thing started with her. 

As soon as his dad and Rafael walked through the door, Derek and Peter trailing behind, Stiles was ready for them. 

“Do you know anything for definite?” Noah asked and Stiles shook his head. 

“I need to see Rachel Adams, I think she might have some answers.” Stiles said decisively.

“I can take you.” Rafael offered and Stiles gritted his teeth, forcing himself to remain calm.

“It would probably be better if I was there with the sheriff.” Stiles said, looking to his dad hopefully. 

“As opposed to a federal agent? Don’t be silly, I can take you. We need to know for definite if this is a demon, and, the sooner the better. I’ll take you, it’s not a big deal.” Rafael insisted and Stiles winced. 

“I’ll cook us something for dinner.” Noah smiled and Stiles forced a smile onto his face.

“Sure, let’s go.” Stiles said, snatching up his books and notes and moving towards the door, trying to steady his pounding heart, they couldn’t know, he couldn’t let them know. He slid into the passenger seat of Rafael’s car, his fingers clenching his notes so tightly that he thought something would break. 

“Put your seatbelt on.” Rafael said as he started the car and Stiles complied in silence, purposefully not looking at the house next to him, knowing that Derek or Peter may notice if he seemed distressed, he couldn’t allow that. 

They drove in silence for five minutes, until Stiles was sure that they were out of hearing range and then Rafael spoke quietly. 

“So, Stiles, how have you been?” He asked casually and Stiles stared at him in disgust.

“Fuck you.” Stiles snarled.

“Come on, that’s not very polite, I thought I’d taught you to be polite. Do I have to teach you again?” Rafael asked, his voice light but Stiles knew the anger that was no doubt lurking underneath it.

“I’m not scared of you.” Stiles replied, staring straight through the windscreen.

“That’s good. I wouldn’t want you to be scared of me.” Rafael said teasingly, knowing that Stiles was indeed terrified of him, reaching across to rest a hand on Stiles’ leg and Stiles flinched, his heart rate going through the roof and his chest start to heave as he struggled for breath.

“Don’t touch me.” He spat out in disgust. 

“What’s wrong Stiles?” Rafael asked, sounding genuinely concerned. “Are you having a panic attack? I’d forgotten you used to have those.” 

“Get away from me.” Stiles panted, trying to suck in air that wasn’t coming.

“It’s okay Stiles, just, breathe, you’re okay.” Rafael reassured him, resting his hand on Stiles’ chest and forcing him to try and calm down. 

“Get off.” Stiles said, shoving Rafael’s hand away from him, “You bastard, get away from me.” Stiles pressed, gritting his teeth with determination and forcing air into his lungs. “I’m here to talk to Rachel, that’s the only reason I’m in the car with you. If it’s not regarding the case then you don’t talk to me, you don’t come near me and you don’t touch me.” Stiles snapped. 

“If you say so.” Rafael said, although he looked amused and Stiles knew better than to believe Rafael would ever listen to anything he said. “So, shall we go inside?” He asked and Stiles looked around to see that they were indeed at the station, the panic attack must have been longer than he’d thought. 

He insisted that Rafael waited outside, he needed to talk to Rachel alone, Rafael smirked and shut the door behind him and Stiles felt himself relax for the first time since he’d gotten into the car. Rachel sat across from him, staring at him in befuddlement, unable to understand why she was being interviewed by a kid. 

“I need to know what you did.” Stiles said simply and Rachel stared at him.

“I didn’t do anything. I told that agent, something just happened to me.” She denied.

“You’re the first one. It started with you. Which makes me think that you summoned the demon that’s doing this. So I need to know what you did.” Stiles said assertively. 

“Demon? What? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Rachel stammered, but she looked guilty, and Stiles jumped on that. 

“Please, Rachel, I don’t care about why you did it or anything like that, all I care about is this thing killing somebody else. So, please, just tell me how you did it? Did you have a spell book? What kind of demon did you summon? What did you do?” Stiles pressed.

“You don’t care why I did it!?” Rachel said incredulously, “That bastard raped me and he got away with it and I wanted justice! I wanted vengeance for that! And you say that you don’t care why I did it!? How can you not care? Or are you just like everyone else and you don’t fucking care?” She ranted and Stiles gaped at her shamefaced.

“I’m, I’m sorry, I didn’t know that. I didn’t know he’d raped you.” He muttered. 

“Yeah, well, it’s not like I told anyone.” Rachel replied sullenly. 

“Did you report it to the police?” He asked. 

“Like they’d believe me!?” She scoffed. 

“You said you wanted justice, but, um, instead of calling the police your first idea was to summon a demon so you could get justice?” Stiles queried. 

“A vengeance demon. It was a vengeance demon, he said his name was Gusion, he said he’d help me get justice, I didn’t know what he was going to do, I swear I didn’t. I just, he took control, and I couldn’t stop him, I had to watch him do those awful things, and I couldn’t, he wouldn’t even listen to me, never mind talk to me.” 

“Okay, how did you summon him? You used a summoning spell of some kind, right?” 

“Yeah, there was a spell book, he dumped it in a bin after he possessed me.”

“A bin? What bin?” 

“One outside my house on the street.” Rachel admitted and Stiles sighed in disappointment, there was no way the book was still there. 

“Alright, I don’t suppose there’s any way you remember the spell?” Stiles attempted. 

“Yeah, I, there was, I could write it for you?” She motioned to the pad Stiles was holding and he shoved it towards her excitedly, shifting his chair around to read over her shoulder as she wrote. 

“Does that, is that, um…?” 

“Two pints of virgin’s blood. Yeah, good job I work as a nurse, it took me a long time to get the ingredients together.”

“You planned it for a while then? Getting your revenge?” Stiles asked and Rachel nodded as she drew a complicated diagram on the page, explaining that Stiles would need to draw it in order to summon Gusion again, if that’s what he intended to do. “Does it, do you feel better, was it worth it?” He asked nervously. 

“Did I want him to pay for what he did to me? Yes. But, I never wanted to kill him, not like that. I didn’t want… he’s dead and I’m in here for his murder and my life is over, it wasn’t worth it. It wasn’t worth it, and, if I could take it back, if I’d known, I never would have… no, no it wasn’t worth it.” Rachel admitted and Stiles nodded solemnly. 

“Thank you.” He said, taking the paper from Rachel when she finished and reading it avidly, “Thank you for this, and, when we get him, which we will, I’ll find some way to get you out of this. Get you out of here. What happened, it wasn’t your fault. You summoned him, but, you had no idea what he was going to do, it’s not your fault.” Rachel let out a huff of a laugh. “I’m serious. I’ll help you Rachel. I will. I promise.” 

“Thank you.” Rachel replied, it was obvious that she didn’t believe him though and Stiles reached out and touched her hand just slightly.

“I mean it.” Stiles insisted. “I promise you.”

“Thank you.” She said again, although it sounded much more sincere this time and Stiles didn’t feel massively guilty as he left, he still felt pretty damn guilty, but, the priority had to be taking Gusion down, stopping him. 

“Did you get what you needed?” Rafael asked and Stiles nodded tightly, clutching the paper in his hand and already memorising the spell, he’d forgotten that he’d have to survive the trip home with him too, but, he could handle it, he would handle it, they couldn’t ever find out. “So, what did she say?” 

“I need to speak to the pack.” Stiles said tightly, studying the spell rather than acknowledging Rafael.

The whole pack was waiting at the house when they arrived back and Stiles got out of the car as quickly as he could without arousing suspicion and smiling at the others in greeting. 

“Hey, so, do we know?” Noah asked without preamble and Stiles nodded. 

“Yeah, Rachel admitted it, Mark Standish raped her and she chose to summon a vengeance demon to get justice, Gusion, she remembers the summoning spell, so we have a way to summon him, once we find a way to protect ourselves first, and a way to send him back to Hell where he belongs.” Stiles explained. 

“Wait, so, this guy rapes her and rather than telling the police she summons a demon?” Scott asked in confusion. 

“Evidently so, but, she didn’t know what Gusion was going to do, and she said she wouldn’t do it again, that it wasn’t worth it, I kind of promised her that I’d find a way to get her out of the mess she’s in once we kill him, because, you know, she was kind of possessed at the time, and, well, so were the other two, so, we should probably start coming up with some sort of cover story to explain how they didn’t actually kill people without admitting that possession is an actual thing.” Stiles said and Noah rolled his eyes in exasperation.

“Right, that’s going to be one hell of a cover story son.” Noah said and Stiles shrugged.

“We’ll think of something.” Stiles grinned.

“What can we do in the meantime to stop him from doing it to someone else?” Derek asked. 

“Well, from what I’ve read, there’s ways you can figure out if someone is a demon, holy water and salt are the main ones, there’s also different diagrams we can draw that stop possession and stuff, but, I need to research those more, make sure we use the right ones, right now, the priority has to be making sure we can protect ourselves against possession. My working theory is that Gusion feeds on vengeance or something like that, he got revenge on Mark for Rachel, and then he jumps ship, leaves her to face the consequences and he goes after Ben Evans who was apparently beaten by his mother when he was a kid, after that one he finds Marie, she’s feeling crappy that her teacher bullies her, so she wants revenge. Which means he’s probably already looking for his next victim, we need to protect ourselves, because, apparently, he doesn’t care if it’s petty vengeance or a serious crime, he’s going after anything that gives him a meal as it were.” 

“How do we protect ourselves? Like, if we air out any grievances will it help?” Isaac asked and Stiles felt his fingers start to shake and he clenched his fists tightly, he couldn’t air out his grievances, it would destroy them, it would destroy him.

“I don’t think so. I think this demon invades your mind, searches through your memories, finds any reason to go after someone, unless you can forgive every person that has ever even slightly annoyed you then I don’t think we can do it that way. I think anti-possession charms are our best bet. I just need to figure out which ones are real and will work, and, which ones are frauds. I’ll figure it out, then we figure out how to send him back to hell and then we cast the summoning charm, summon him, send him packing, and, ta-da, demon vanquished and murders over!” He said excitedly.

“That’s a lot riding on your researching abilities.” Rafael commented and Stiles gritted his teeth.

“Stiles is good at researching dad.” Scott replied, “Honestly, you don’t have to worry about him not finding the information, hey, are you coming to ours for dinner? Mom wants to see you?” Scott asked hopefully and Rafael grinned.

“Yeah, that would be great son.” He said grabbing his coat and heading for the door, “I’ll be back here later if that’s okay still?” 

“Sure thing.” Noah said while Stiles returned to studying the paperwork in front of him and tried to control the beating of his heart at the idea of being stuck in the house with Rafael tonight. He listened to the sound of others leaving, muttering distracted goodbyes as he pretended to read the summoning spell in front of him. 

“Stiles? Are you okay?” Stiles glanced up and saw Derek sat on the coffee table a few feet in front of Stiles, looking at him with actual concern in his eyes, Stiles wanted to crack, wanted to tell him everything, wanted to ask the alpha to help him, protect him, but, the moment passed quickly, Derek didn’t want Stiles in the pack, if he did then he would have offered him the bite, he hadn’t done, because he knew what a fuck up Stiles was, he didn’t want Stiles in the pack so why would Stiles confess everything to Derek? Why would he beg the alpha for protection when Derek obviously didn’t want anything to do with Stiles? They both knew the only reason Derek was here was because he needed someone to research for him.

“Me? Yeah, fine.” Stiles said, forcing a smile to his lips, “Just reading the summoning spell. Rachel said some of the ingredients were hard to get hold of.” He said getting to his feet, “I need to get to work, I’ll be upstairs!” He called, practically running up the stairs and into his room, shutting the door behind him. 

It was hours later when Stiles heard the front door open and close for the final time, he’d heard the others leave earlier, calling goodbye up the stairs and Stiles grunting out a goodbye. Lydia had offered to help him read some of the lore but Stiles had smiled and shook his head, telling her to go out and enjoy herself, he had it covered. Mainly because Lydia was one of the most observant people he knew, he couldn’t let her find out and he knew he was distracted, listening for Rafael’s return, no, he needed to be alone. 

His dad had gone to bed an hour ago, so Stiles knew that it meant Rafael was the one entering the house downstairs, his heart was pounding, he moved to his door, leaning his weight against it so that it couldn’t be opened, moments later he heard footsteps stop outside his door and then the handle started to turn. 

“Stiles.” Rafael whispered through the door when it didn’t budge, “Stiles open the door.” 

“Go away.” He hissed angrily, pushing harder against the door. 

“Stiles, let me in, right now.” 

“Get lost Rafael or I shout loud enough to wake the nearest werewolf.” Stiles snapped and Rafael snorted slightly but his footsteps retreated to his own room and Stiles let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding. He slumped against the door, not trusting that Rafael wouldn’t come back, staring at the scattered paperwork around him and continuing to read. 

Around two in the morning the door knocked against his back as someone tried to open it and Stiles woke with a startle, automatically shoving back against the door to keep it closed. 

“Stiles, I’m warning you. Let me in.” Rafael whispered angrily and Stiles felt a new panic attack start, he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, he couldn’t have a panic attack, not now, no, he couldn’t. “You know what happens if you disobey me.” 

“Fuck off Rafael.” He panted. 

“You can’t keep this up forever Stiles.” Rafael warned before his footsteps left again and Stiles waited until he heard his door open and close before he sighed, knowing he wouldn’t get any more sleep tonight, he stood up, pulled on his running shoes and slipped silently out of his room and down the stairs, running through the town with a practiced ease as he tried not to think about how different things could have been. 

Four days later and Stiles was going out of his mind, he’d barely slept since Rafael’s return, only catching an hour or two here and there, always with his back pressed tightly against the door. School had been a drag but it was the only place that Stiles felt he was safe, except, he couldn’t sleep there, whenever he had a free minute he was using the library resources to find anything else that could be useful. The plus side was that he’d read so much information on demon lore that he knew at least four exorcism spells off the top of his head, he had bought anti-possession charms for everyone that they could wear on a short chain around their neck, hiding them easily under their clothes. He was feeling pretty confident that they could do this, now all they needed was to be able to cast the summoning spell. 

“So, what else do we need?” Erica asked looking at the pile of ingredients on the table with a raised eyebrow and Stiles read through the list again, he was still missing the bone dust of a hag and the two pints of virgin’s blood, Rachel had told him she’d got the bone dust from a wiccan’s shop in the next town, so that was straight forward enough, but, the virgin’s blood, well, that was slightly more complicated.

“It looks like we still need; bone dust of a hag and two pints of virgin’s blood.” Lydia read over his shoulder.

“There’s a shop in the next town that sold Rachel the bone dust.” Stiles said. 

“Great, well, that’s everything then, isn’t it?” Jackson asked.

“Um, no, we still need the blood.” Stiles muttered.

“Yeah, but, we can just use yours, right?” Jackson teased and Stiles felt sick, clenching his fists to make sure nobody could see the shaking in his fingers.

“If you take two pints of his blood then he’ll be weak.” Derek input, “We need him in one piece in order to do the summoning spell.” 

“And the exorcism.” Stiles added, not wanting to argue with Derek that he wasn’t weak. 

“Yeah, but, you could teach one of us how to do that?” Isaac queried and Stiles frowned, he could, but, then there was still the other issue. 

“That shouldn’t be too hard, you could teach all of us and then we all know it.” Scott grinned. 

“Yeah, that would work.” Peter nodded and Stiles grimaced, glancing nervously at his dad. 

“Yeah, well, the thing is, it won’t work.” Stiles said. 

“It will, we can learn Stiles, I’m sure it’s not that complicated.” Erica said and Stiles winced.

“No, I mean, it won’t work, because, um, well, the blood won’t work.” Stiles replied, feeling more sick by the second as the room went silent.

“Dude! You’re not a virgin! When did that happen!? Why didn’t you tell me!?” Scott asked in excitement and Stiles gritted his teeth and forced a smile to his lips. 

“Um, look, it’s not a big deal, can we just, not talk about it, please?” Stiles said and there was more silence before Scott looked suddenly disgusted.

“Don’t smell so smug about it,” Scott said to Rafael, before he frowned, “Oh, oh my god, dude?! You slept with my dad!? That’s so fucking gross.” Scott said in shock and Stiles felt all the colour drain out of his face.

“What!?” Stiles denied, “No, no, don’t be stupid.” 

“Dude! I can smell it, he’s all smug and I can hear you lying! You totally slept with my dad! What the hell Stiles!? He’s old enough to be your dad! And, what the hell!? When? What? Why?” 

“You slept with my underage son!?” Noah shouted and Rafael actually looked a little panicked.

“Dad!” Stiles shouted, “Look, it was, it’s not a big deal. We bumped into each other and it just, it just, happened okay? Can we just forget about it? Please?” 

“Stiles, this isn’t something I can just forget about! You’re underage! Rafael is a grown adult! He should have known better!” Noah argued. 

“I made the first move!” Stiles lied, hoping the lie held and the wolves didn’t listen to closely to his heartbeat, his dad was shocked into silence, and Stiles tried not to throw up as the next words left his mouth, it was more important to protect them from the truth, “I chased after him dad, you wouldn’t care if it was somebody else, you don’t care about Scott and Allison having sex even though they’re underage, or Erica and Boyd, or anyone else, why is it any different that it’s me? It’s not! So, just, just drop it!” Stiles shouted, grabbing his jacket and storming out of the house. 

“You slept with Stiles?” Derek growled as soon as Stiles had left and Rafael nodded uncomfortably.

“It was before I knew about you had feelings for him, I swear.” Rafael said.

“It won’t happen again. I mean it Rafael, if you touch my son again I will have you arrested.” Noah snarled and Rafael nodded. 

“I understand.” Rafael said. 

“And you’re not staying here, not anymore, I’m not having you sleeping with my son under my roof. God, was in under my roof? Was it here? When was it?”

“Noah, please, don’t torture yourself over this. I’ll grab my stuff and I’ll go to the hotel, but, you heard Stiles, you heard what he said, he chased me, I just, I didn’t resist. I know how wrong that was, but, he’s very, um, persistent.”

“God, dad, I don’t want to know about your sex life with my best friend!” Scott groaned, covering his eyes dramatically and flinging himself onto the sofa. 

“Sorry, sorry, I’ll shut up, I’ll just grab my stuff and get out of here.” Rafael said, backing up towards the stairs and Noah sighed leaning against the kitchen doorway. 

“Stiles will understand, it’s not because you’re a man, or anything like that, it’s because, it’s, you’ve known him since he was six! How could you sleep with him?” Noah asked in confusion and Rafael shrugged.

“It just happened, like Stiles said, I was a bit drunk, and, well, I wasn’t thinking.” Rafael replied quietly. 

“God!” Noah groaned, running his hands down his face and feeling like he’d aged ten years in a few minutes. “Alright, just, Christ, give me a few minutes to think about this.” 

“Think about this!?” Peter said in surprise, “He slept with your son. Your seventeen-year-old son. What is there to think about? It’s statutory rape!” 

“Yeah, but, like Stiles said, I wouldn’t care if it was someone else, Erica and Boyd, Scott and Allison, Jackson and Lydia, straight away I can name three relationships with people underage who I know for a fact are having sex. Isaac isn’t a virgin either so I know that happened somewhere along the way, so, can I really blame Stiles for not being a virgin either?” 

“We’re not over eighteen though, not yet, not like Rafael.” Lydia argued. 

“I know.” Noah sighed, “I just, Stiles said it just happened, and, I don’t want him to hate me for making this a bigger deal than it is.” 

“So, you’re not kicking me out?” Rafael asked cautiously. 

“I, I don’t know. I need some time to think about this. Can the rest of you, can you all just leave? I need to talk to Stiles when he comes home.” Noah sighed. The pack slowly dispersed, all of them looking at Rafael with various levels of disgust, Scott looking at him in disappointment as he left, Rafael stayed stood on the stairs and Noah turned to look at him, “I need you to promise me this is never going to happen again, no matter what. I can’t, I won’t allow you to be in a relationship with my son, you even think about it and I’ll have your badge, I’ll make sure you are thrown in prison, preferably one with a lot of people that you’ve put there, and I’ll make sure you never see Stiles or Scott again.”

“I promise.” Rafael said urgently, “I swear Noah, it was a one-off, it meant nothing, to either of us. I just, I swear, I’m so sorry. I promise you it will never happen again.” Rafael said, relaxing slightly when Noah slumped his shoulders in defeat, it was easy to lie when the wolves weren’t around, he didn’t need to watch his words so carefully. 

“Okay, alright, you can stay, but, I mean it, you go near my son again and I’ll arrest you for statutory, I don’t care that you’re my friend, it won’t make any difference.” Noah warned, pouring himself a glass of whiskey.

“Okay.” Rafael muttered quietly.

“Alright, well, I’m going to wait up for Stiles, I’d like to speak to him privately.” Noah said, dismissing Rafael who hurried upstairs without another word. He knew it was his own fault, he shouldn’t have felt as smug as he did when Stiles admitted he wasn’t a virgin, it was his own fault, he knew that, but, if Stiles wasn’t so irresistible then it wouldn’t have been an issue in the first place, and, then, Scott, Scott had looked at him with such disgust and disappointment, he’d have to fix that, but, first, first he needed to make sure Stiles stuck to his story, if the truth came out it would ruin him.

Stiles left the house with his heart pounding much too fast and his breath coming out in gasps. He shouldn’t have lied, he should have told them the truth, but, the truth, the truth would destroy them and him, he couldn’t do that. 

He drove out to the preserve, parking up and allowing the tears to spill down his cheeks as he tried to breathe. He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, he tried to get himself under control, he tried to control it in whatever way he could, but, he couldn’t, he was falling apart, he didn’t know how much longer he could keep this up, he gulped in oxygen, gritting his teeth. He was Stiles Stilinski, he was not going to fall apart, he could handle this, he had to, the pack were here, he had to be stronger than this, for Scott, for his dad, for the pack, they couldn’t find out. 

Eventually he drove home, grateful when the house looked quiet and dark, he really didn’t want to talk to anyone, he just wanted to sleep without fear for the first time in too long. Instead he walked through the door and saw his dad still sat on the sofa, looking at him with worried eyes and a glass of whiskey in his hands. 

“Stiles.” Noah whispered quietly, indicating for him to come sit down, Stiles nodded glumly, moving slowly towards the sofa, his feet dragging and his chest pounding, “Son, we need to talk.” 

“Yeah, I figured as much.” Stiles mumbled, sinking into the sofa and staring at the table rather than looking at his father. 

“I don’t want to yell at you Stiles.” Noah said, his voice filled with concern, “That’s the last thing I want to do, but, you’re still a child, you’re still underage, and, sleeping with Rafael, I just, I can’t wrap my head around that, it’s…It makes no sense to me. You’ve never even hinted you were interested in boys.” 

“So you’re bothered because he’s a guy?” Stiles asked.

“No. No, of course not son. You’re my son and I love you and I don’t care if you date girls or boys or everyone or no-one. I just, why him? Why sleep with Scott’s dad?” 

“It just happened.” Stiles said, picking at a fray in his jeans and still not looking at his dad.

“So you’ve said.” Noah sighed, “Look, Stiles, I’m not mad at you, okay? And, maybe I can’t wrap my head around this, but, I’ll try, because I want you to be happy, that’s what matters to me.” Noah admitted.

“It’s not like…I’m not going to start dating him.” Stiles said in disgust.

“I know you’re not. I’ve already told him that’s not an option. Not now at least. But, if when you’re eighteen, if you wanted to, god, if you wanted to date him, then there’s nothing I could do to stop you, other than to tell you that there are plenty of other options out there that are a whole lot more suitable and you’d probably get on with a whole lot better…”

“Dad, stop! Please, god, just stop!” Stiles said, feeling sick to his stomach, “I’m not going to date Rafael, not now, not ever. It happened. It meant nothing to me. It’s not ever going to happen again, so can we please just forget this whole conversation ever happened?” 

“Not yet Stiles, look, I have to ask, were you safe? I mean, there’s a lot of transmittable diseases out there and I know you were a virgin but I don’t know about Rafael…”

“Dad, seriously, stop talking or I’m going to be sick. Yes, I was safe. Now, can we please drop this!? I just want to go to bed.” 

“Yeah, yeah I guess so. Look, I, I’m serious about this, I don’t want anything else happening between you two. If he’s staying in this house I don’t want to find the two of you in bed together, or anything like that.” Noah warned and Stiles grimaced.

“He’s still here?”

“Yeah, upstairs. I was going to throw him out, but, you were right, I didn’t say anything about any of the others, I shouldn’t have a go at you, and, really, you’re a hell of a lot more mature than any of them, I mean, you’ve been looking after me since your mom, since she died. I trust your judgement more than anyone else’s, if you say it’s not a big deal then it’s not a big deal and I won’t make this worse by having him arrested, god knows Scott would have a hard time seeing his dad in prison,” Noah rambled and Stiles felt guilt flood him, he’d barely even thought about how Scott was handling this, “So, I won’t lock him up, but, only if you promise me, the two of you, it never happens again.” 

“I promise dad. I swear on my life, with everything I have, that it will never happen again.” Stiles said solemnly, fighting back tears when his dad pulled him into a tight hug. 

“I love you Stiles. I love you, no matter what, nothing you could ever do would make me stop loving you. You know that, right?” Noah mumbled and Stiles nodded into his chest, the urge to confess the truth, to burst into tears, to beg his dad for protection growing stronger and stronger, but he couldn’t, none of them could ever know.

Stiles shut his door quietly, sliding down it and letting the tears slide down his cheeks, he’d grown very good at crying silently, he knew his dad wouldn’t hear him, but, part of him had believed that his dad would have thrown Rafael out, that his home would be safe again. Instead he pulled the paperwork close to him again, leaned against the door and began to read. 

Around four in the morning he felt someone push against the door and then Rafael hiss out his name in annoyance, Stiles tensed, pushing his weight against the door even harder. 

“You’ll keep quiet Stiles. I mean it, you tell them anything and you know what happens.” Rafael threatened and Stiles pulled his knees closer, wrapping his hands around them and pressing his head against the door, he couldn’t get in, he couldn’t get in. “I’m serious Stiles. Keep your mouth shut.” 

“Go away.” Stiles muttered in reply and he heard Rafael sigh before he retreated to his own bedroom. Stiles relaxed slightly, returning to his paperwork and memorising another exorcism in case the other four he already knew off by heart didn’t work. 

“Stiles! What the hell are you doing?” Noah called as he tried to push his son’s bedroom door open and found it blocked. 

“Wh’t?” A mumbled voice replied and Noah pushed against the door again, hearing a yelp of pain and then suddenly the door moved and Noah almost fell into his son’s room. He looked at Stiles in bewilderment, Stiles was awake now but it was obvious that he’d fallen asleep with his back to the door, there was a pile of paperwork surrounding him and Noah shook his head in bemusement.

“Breakfast is ready. Come downstairs. Eat. Then we can figure out where we can get some virgin’s blood.” Noah smiled fondly, figuring the best way for them to get past this was to pretend it hadn’t happened, Stiles jumped to his feet and snatched the paperwork up, running a hand over his shaved head before following his dad down the stairs and grabbing a piece of toast. 

“About that, I think I’ve got it sorted.” Stiles grinned. 

“Morning.” Rafael said from the table and Stiles turned to look at him. 

“Hi.” He said quietly, before turning back to his dad and shaking the paperwork in his face. “So, I might have found someone who is kind of like the Argents, I mean, they don’t just go after werewolves though, they go after all kinds of things and they’ve gone after demons before.”

“And you’ve spoken to them?” Noah asked, “Do you think they can help?” 

“I haven’t spoken to them directly, they have friends all over the place, anyway, I managed to find someone who could ask them about demon summoning spells, turns out you aren’t the only Sheriff in the know.” He waved to the pile of paperwork on the table, “So, anyway, the Winchesters told her that you can basically become a born-again virgin and then the blood would work. She talked me through the process last night, well, technically this morning, but, guess what, born-again virgin! We can totally use my blood, so, I’ll go today and get the hag’s bone dust after school and then we’re ready to do this. We summon Gusion, I do the exorcism and we kick his ass back to hell.” Stiles said excitedly and Noah frowned.

“That’s still two pints of blood Stiles, besides, do these, um, Winchesters?” He paused and Stiles nodded, “Do they know that it will work?” 

“Well, they’re pretty certain, I mean, admittedly, they’ve not tried using virgin’s blood in a summoning spell, but, they were hunting this thing that went after virgin’s who had broken their promise to stay celibate until marriage, so they had to become born-again virgins and it worked. They apparently told Jody that they would come here and help when they finish the hunt they’re on, but, that could be weeks and in the meantime, Gusion could kill loads of people, we can’t wait that long.” 

“I still think we should talk to the pack about this before we go any further. They might prefer to wait and get actual virgin’s blood from somewhere.” Noah suggested. 

“Okay, I promise I won’t go bleeding out until we’ve spoken to the pack, but, hey, this could work dad, we could get rid of him, tonight. Anyway, I best go grab a shower before school otherwise I’m going to be late.” Stiles said, dashing upstairs and hurrying into the bathroom, locking the door behind him, terrified of Rafael following after him. 

“And what do you think of all this?” Noah asked Rafael when Stiles had left the room. 

“You mean the fact Stiles is apparently a virgin again? Or that he plans on using two pints of his blood to summon a demon?”

“Please don’t ever say Stiles and virgin in the same sentence again.” Noah shuddered, he was not going to think about them together, about his nearly legal son sleeping with a man twice his age, no, not going to happen, he wasn’t making a big deal of it for Stiles, but, that was the only reason, because Stiles didn’t want to cause a fuss. 

“Sorry.” Rafael said looking suitably abashed, although there was still a faint smirk on his face as he sipped his coffee. 

“Right, I’m going to school dad, I’ll see you tonight after I’ve got the hag’s dust stuff. I’ll be back here about, um, half four? I’ll text the pack and ask them to meet me here for five? Does that work for you?” 

“Yeah, that’s fine kiddo. I’ll see you then.” Noah called out as Stiles practically ran out of the house. 

Stiles should have expected school to be difficult, Scott kept shooting him looks of complete disgust and disbelief and Stiles could barely look him in the eyes, Erica, Isaac and Boyd kept looking between them, evidently not sure if they should bring it up or not, Lydia, Jackson and Allison didn’t seem remotely bothered as they chatted about the latest gossip that didn’t revolve around Stiles. Stiles’ stomach was twisting uncomfortably and he was exhausted, he excused himself from the table part way through lunch, not exactly surprised when nobody even commented on it, and made his way to the bathroom, sinking to the floor behind the locked door and doing his best to fight off yet another panic attack. He was going to lose Scott. After everything he’d done to protect him from the truth, he was still going to lose his best friend. 

When school finished all he could think about was getting the hag’s dust and getting rid of Gusion, and hopefully Rafael as well, instead he walked towards his jeep and saw Derek standing there looking pissed off, Stiles braced himself, he could handle Derek’s anger, just like he could handle Scott’s rejection. 

“What’s up?” Stiles asked. 

“You slept with Rafael.” Derek growled and Stiles closed his eyes and prayed for strength.

“And?” 

“And!? Seriously Stiles!? He’s old enough to be your father, and you slept with him!” 

“It’s none of your business who I sleep with.” Stiles argued back.

“Like I give a fuck who you sleep with.” Derek spat back angrily, knowing damn well that he did care who Stiles slept with, it was why he’d been so angry since last night, since finding out that Stiles slept with Rafael, he was jealous and confused and he hated that Stiles had kept this from him, from all of them.

“So why are you yelling at me!?” Stiles said, confused and hurt and embarrassed and just wanting to rewind time, for none of them to have found out. 

“Because, Jesus Christ, Stiles, because he’s old enough to be your dad and you were so desperate to lose your virginity that you slept with him!? I just thought you had higher standards than that!” Derek said, Stiles felt like he’d been physically slapped, the breath rushed out of his lungs and the tears burned in his eyes. 

“Fuck you.” He snarled angrily before he jumped in his jeep and drove off, ignoring the way that he could see the rest of the pack gathering around Derek in his rear-view mirror, ignoring the way that Derek looked instantly remorseful and like he was ready to run after Stiles and apologise.


	3. Chapter 3

Stiles sighed as he pulled into his driveway, thankfully it hadn’t been hard to get the hag’s bone dust, it was as easy as Rachel said it would be, he thanked God that at least one thing had gone right today, that it was Friday and he had the whole weekend before he had to go to school again, where he’d have to face everyone who had no doubt heard the entire conversation with Derek. He entered the house, flicking on the lights as he went, gathering the ingredients he’d need for the summoning spell and placing them all on the living room table along with the incantation and the drawing he would need. He heard the front door open and assumed it was his dad back, calling out to him that he was in the kitchen, as he continued preparing a few glass bottles of holy water for the summoning spell. 

He felt the long length of a body press against his back and he flinched, spinning around and coming face-to-face with Rafael. 

“What the fuck are you doing!?” Stiles said angrily, trying to move away from the counter and when that failed, physically pushing Rafael backwards away from him, that, too, had no effect on the man. 

“Stiles, I think we need to have a talk, don’t you?” Rafael smirked, his hands wrapping around Stiles’ wrists to the point it was almost painful and pinning Stiles against the island.

Noah pulled up to the house and got out of his car with a heavy sigh, it had been a long day and it wasn’t over yet. He heard the sound of more cars approaching and saw the pack pull up against the curb, he saw Derek getting out, looking destroyed and Noah tried not to feel for the boy, he knew he had feelings for Stiles, but, this didn’t mean that they had no hope of a future together, if it was something that Stiles wanted. 

“Great, dad is already here.” Scott mumbled sullenly under his breath and Noah turned to notice Rafael’s car for the first time. 

“Yeah so he is.” Noah replied, approaching the front door before he turned to look at Scott, giving a brief smile to Melissa who had apparently decided to accompany them on this. “Can you hear them talking?”

“Yeah?” Scott answered in confusion, still moving forwards towards the door.

“Can we just, wait? A minute? Something, something doesn’t feel right about this, I mean, I know, Stiles, I just, there’s something off about him at the moment, and, I just, I want to know what they’re talking about, can we do that? Do you mind?” Noah directed his final question to Derek who rolled his eyes.

“Rafael is saying ‘we had fun, we could have more fun.’” Derek quoted looking a bit sick as he repeated what was said to Noah. 

“Come on Stiles, it could be like old times.” Rafael encouraged.

“I said stay the fuck away from me.” Stiles snapped. 

“Look, I know, I know you’re annoyed at me, I shouldn’t have been so proud about sleeping with you…” Rafael began.

“Proud? You’re fucking proud!? You’re sick! You get that, don’t you? You’re so fucked in the head it’s untrue. If they knew the truth about you…”

“But they don’t do they? And that’s because of you. You lied to them because you care about me.” Rafael reasoned and Stiles let out a sarcastic laugh.

“Care about you? I don’t give a fuck about you. I lied to protect them! I lied because Scott can’t lose his dad, not because of me!” 

“You’re lying again Stiles. We both know the real reason you didn’t tell them.” Rafael smirked.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Stiles said through clenched teeth, pulling against Rafael’s hold and trying not to wince when it felt like his wrists were about to break under the pressure.

“God, you think I honestly believe that you’d be trying to protect those monsters? You get that, don’t you? They are monsters!”

“They are werewolves, that doesn’t make them monsters. You are a human and you’re a fucking monster.” Stiles argued.

“We both know the reason you didn’t tell them the truth is because you know that they won’t believe you. You’ll lose Scott. You’ll lose your dad. You’ll lose this ragtag pack or werewolves that don’t give a shit about you in the first place. Why would they believe you Stiles? You’re a liar. You always have been. They won’t believe you.” Rafael whispered victoriously and Stiles felt his heart racing in his chest as the man in front of him let go off one of his wrists and moved his hand up to Stiles’ neck, Stiles reached behind him, grabbing the glass bottle of holy water and holding it tightly.

“You best get the hell away from my son and tell me what the fuck is going on right now!” Noah said, standing in the kitchen doorway and looking furious, Stiles moved at the same time, grabbing the bottle and swinging it forcefully towards Rafael’s face, watching it shatter and then staring in amazement as Rafael screamed, steam rising from his face as he clutched at it in agony.

“What the hell did you hit him with!?” Jackson asked stunned and Stiles stared at the remains of the glass in his hand, vaguely aware of the stinging sensation in his palm that meant he was bleeding. 

“Oh, shit, shit.” Stiles said, scrambling to get out of Rafael’s way, “Demon! He’s the demon! He’s possessed!” Stiles warned the others, a moment before Rafael recovered and waved his arm in Stiles’ direction, sending him flying backwards into the kitchen cabinets so that he hit them hard enough to black out. He heard shouting but it was coming from too far away, he drifted into the darkness and felt all the pain and fear leave him momentarily.

Derek charged at Rafael the moment Stiles was flung across the room, they’d been listening to the conversation from outside and every word spoken made Derek agree with Noah, there was definitely something they were missing here, Stiles had lied to them? About what? And how? They could hear his heart beating, he’d said it had just happened, there was no lie in those words. 

Derek knew he’d reacted badly, but, he was hurting, it was no excuse though, there was no reason why he’d decided to corner Stiles and yell at him for sleeping with Rafael, but, Derek just kept thinking, why him? Why did Stiles choose Rafael and not Derek? He had spoken angrily, wanted to make Stiles hurt because Derek was hurting and it was only fair, except, seeing that look on Stiles’ face, the look of hurt and confusion, like he didn’t understand why Derek was lashing out at him, he probably didn’t, it wasn’t like Derek had been particularly forthcoming with his feelings, but, Stiles looked like he’d been slapped and Derek felt instant regret at his words, wanting to apologise but it was too late and Stiles had already left. 

The rest of the pack had consoled him, told him that it was okay, that Stiles would get over it, but, Derek knew he’d done wrong and he was desperate to fix it, it was why they’d arrived early at Stiles’ house that evening, why they’d bumped into Noah on the porch and it was how they’d heard a conversation that made Derek’s skin crawl with unease. Something was very wrong. There was something they didn’t know and it made Derek shift awkwardly on the porch until Noah had finally entered the kitchen, shouting at Rafael just as Stiles hit him with something. 

It was only when Stiles started yelling that it was a demon that Derek reacted, admittedly his plan was to get to Stiles, to put himself between the demon wearing Rafael’s face and Stiles, but, then it had sent Stiles flying backwards into the cabinets, smacking into them hard enough that Derek heard the crunch of his head and smelled the coppery scent of Stiles’ blood and then he fell to the ground motionless and Derek roared, lunging at Rafael in rage.

The demon took them all out in an instant, sweeping his hand around the room and blasting them all backwards off their feet, when Derek tried to climb back to his feet he found himself frozen in place, Rafael grinning evilly at him, his eyes completely black and Derek stared in horror, he’d never seen a demon before, it was terrifying and Derek and his pack were completely at its mercy. 

“Let’s at least be civil about this.” The demon smiled, conjuring ropes out of thin air and Derek could do nothing but snarl at the thing as he walked against his will towards the nearest chair and the ropes bound him tightly in place, “They’re covered in wolfsbane, you can try breaking them if you want, but, it won’t do you dogs any good.” The demon grinned and Derek watched in horror as one by one his pack were forced to walk towards the chairs, lower themselves into them, and then have ropes bind them in place, each one of them cursing him and struggling against the force he was using to control them, Noah calling out for Stiles who was still lying unconscious half hidden from Derek’s view by the island in the middle of the kitchen, Derek focused on listening to his heartbeat, Stiles was okay, he was unconscious and he’d have a hell of a headache when he woke up, but, he would live.

“What the hell do you want with us?” Derek snarled as he pulled against the ropes holding him in place, feeling pathetically weak when they didn’t even shift in the slightest.

“With you? Nothing.” The demon replied before turning his attention to Stiles who seemed to finally be stirring.

Stiles groaned as he returned to consciousness, his head was pounding, he tried to move and then thought better of it when his stomach lurched at the pain. 

“Fuck.” He groaned in pain, forcing his eyes open as he studied the room around him. 

“Good, our guest of honour is awake.” Rafael smirked, flashing black eyes at him as he crouched down in front of Stiles. Stiles took in the scene in front of him, the pack were all tied to chairs and lined up around the room, he tried to buy himself some time, sitting up and leaning against the cabinet behind him, waiting for the room to stop spinning before he redirected his attention to the demon in front of him.

“Gusion I presume?” Stiles asked and the demon grinned widely.

“Oh, you are smart, I thought he might have been exaggerating, but, no, you are a special one, aren’t you?” Gusion grinned, tapping the side of his head to indicate Rafael was in there somewhere.

“Get away from him!” Noah called and Gusion turned to grin at Noah, his hand extending just slightly and Noah began to turn red in the face as if he was choking, his oxygen supply being cut off.

“Stop it!” Stiles shouted, launching himself forward and knocking into Gusion, not achieving much more than unbalancing the demon for the briefest moment before he was shoved backwards and hit the cabinets behind him again, thankfully not hard enough to knock himself out this time, but, still, enough that it made the room spin. The only positive was that Gusion’s attention had returned to Stiles and his dad was breathing normally again, even if he was still a little red in the face. 

Gusion stalked towards him, looking slightly amused and Stiles knew it was probably the best chance he was going to get to make this work, he clenched his fists, ignoring the stinging in his palm that told him he had cut his hand when he’d hit Rafael.

“Exorcizamus te, omnis immunde…” He didn’t get any further with the exorcism before Gusion’s hand was wrapped around his throat and he couldn’t breathe, the demon lifting him high enough off the floor that he could barely touch the floor with his tiptoes and Gusion was smirking at him with black eyes boring into Stiles’.

“That was stupid. A good effort. But stupid.” Gusion dropped Stiles and he fell to the floor, gasping and coughing for breath.

“Leave him alone!” Scott called and Gusion barked out a laugh, rounding on Scott, and letting his eyes fade back to normal so that Scott was looking at his father’s eyes.

“Haven’t you gotten it yet, Scott? I mean, I shouldn’t be surprised, you always were a little slow. How you are my son I’ll never know, always so slow to catch on to the slightest thing. Let me spell it out for you. I’m. here. For. Stiles.” Gusion grinned and the whole room seemed to still before everyone started to struggle with renewed strength against their bonds.

“You can’t!” “Get away from him!” “Leave him alone!” “Stay the fuck away from him!” The pack all shouted in unison at the same time that Stiles started his chant under his breath again.

“Exorcizamus te, omnis immunde spiritus, omni…” He got a little further this time before Gusion grabbed him and hauled him to his feet, wrapped a hand around the back of his neck and slammed him into the kitchen island, Stiles letting out a grunt of pain as he struggled against the demon who was holding him in place.

“Well, this brings back fond memories.” Gusion teased, pressing himself harder against Stiles’ ass and Stiles froze, scrunching up his eyes and his heart rate going through the roof. “Relax, I’m not going to fuck you, not yet at least.” 

“You leave him the hell alone!” Noah shouted and Gusion rolled his eyes in amusement, still holding Stiles easily in place.

“You’re a vengeance demon, right? Why would Rafael want revenge on Stiles? Surely whatever he wants vengeance for, it’s not going to provide you with much of a meal?” Peter asked, sounding much calmer than the rest of them.

“I’m so glad somebody finally asked that question, instead of, this one,” Gusion slammed Stiles’ head into the island again when he tried mumbling the first word of the exorcism, “who keeps trying to exorcise me, and, those ones, that are too busy yelling at me to even use their brains. Honestly, it’s like they want me to kill you Stiles, they aren’t even trying to reason with me, maybe they do want you dead, weak, pathetic, stupid, Stiles, too weak to protect himself, too pathetic to stand up for himself.” Gusion grinned. 

“You didn’t answer my question.” Peter pressed, but he sounded strained, like he was in pain, Stiles risked a quick glance at him and saw him pulling hard on the ropes, even if it was having no effect. 

“Why would I possibly want revenge on Stiles? Maybe because he’s the reason I had to leave my family, if it hadn’t been for him I would still be living here in Beacon Hills, I’d still have my wife and my son, and, instead, because of him, I had to leave.” Gusion snarled and Stiles winced at the pressure at the back of his head, it felt like Gusion was trying to crack the worktop with Stiles’ skull and Stiles knew which one would crack first.

“What are you talking about!?” Melissa shouted, “Stiles didn’t make you leave! You left, you walked out on us! You were the one having an affair!”

“What?” Scott asked in surprise.

“Well, true, I was sleeping with someone else, but, I never intended to leave you, you were my wife, I loved you.” Gusion replied casually. 

“You were having an affair?” Scott said looking horrified.

“Oh, that’s not the worst of it Scotty boy, you found out about it, started yelling about it, so I shoved you down the stairs. You had one hell of a concussion, and a broken arm, but, I didn’t care, not in the slightest, because my secret was still safe, nobody knew, it could have killed you and I wouldn’t have cared.” Gusion smiled and Scott looked at him in shock, trying to make sense of what his father was saying. 

“I don’t…I don’t understand. You pushed me down the stairs? What? Why?” 

“You said he slipped.” Noah snarled and Gusion shrugged casually. 

“In the end though, you didn’t remember falling, never mind what else you knew, and, I thought I was safe. I thought things could carry on as they were, except then you,” He pointed at Melissa, “You kept asking me about what happened, about what Scott and I had been arguing about, and Noah was quizzing Stiles and I had to leave because I knew the little shit would tell them and everything would come crumbling down.” Scott, Melissa and Noah were all looking at Stiles who was still being held in place against the worktop and struggling against Gusion’s hold, purposefully avoiding this conversation. “Except, I underestimated just how weak and pathetic he was, I underestimated how scared he was. I left, and he still stayed quiet and it’s his fault that I had to leave my family.” 

“I don’t understand…” Melissa muttered, “What did Stiles know? And what do you mean he was scared? Of what? Of who?” She asked in confusion and Gusion laughed.

“Why don’t you tell them Stiles? It’ll sound better coming from you, I wonder what you’re going to say? Are you going to lie again? Try to protect them again? Because you’ve done such a wonderful job of that so far.” 

“Fuck you.” Stiles snarled, pushing again against Gusion and trying to start the exorcism again before Gusion dragged him upwards finally and pinned him to the fridge instead, his hand wrapping tight around Stiles’ throat, Stiles’ hands going up to try and release some of the pressure on his throat. 

“Come up with something more original, please, that’s getting boring. Everyone already knows I fucked you.” Gusion grinned before turning to Noah, “You know, he made all these sounds, when I pulled on his hair, these little whimpers, they sounded so fucking good, made me cum harder than I ever had done before.” 

“Shut up.” Stiles growled. 

“Way TMI.” Jackson replied and Gusion laughed brightly.

“That’s not the half of it, I can tell you all about how he…”

“I said shut up!” Stiles shouted, lashing out and punching Gusion hard in the face, it split Rafael’s lip and Gusion grinned, looking even happier than he had been before. 

“You’ve still got some fight left in you, that’s good, it’ll make it more fun for me.” 

“Then just fucking do it already! Just kill me, you sick fuck!” Stiles shouted, ignoring the protests from the pack. 

“Oh, Stiles,” Gusion looked at him with pity, “I’m not going to kill you. I’m here to help you.” 

“What?” Stiles stopped struggling, confusion sweeping through him, because, none of this made any sense.

“You see, I can see the cracks.” Gusion continued, reaching out his other hand and pressing lightly against Stiles’ cheek, Stiles hissing in surprise more than pain when a shallow cut opened up on his skin.

“Stop it!” Derek and Noah shouted in unison.

“Oh, look, here, another one.” Gusion pressed against his neck this time and Stiles winced with pain, gritting his teeth and glaring at Gusion, “And another, and another.” 

“Stop hurting him!” The entire pack was screaming but Stiles could do nothing to stop him, he was weak, too weak, too pathetic to stop the demon who was going to kill him, Stiles knew that, he knew Gusion was lying, he was a vengeance demon, he killed, it was what he did. 

“You see Stiles? You’re falling apart, and they?” He gestured to the pack behind them, “They didn’t even notice. Not then. Not now. And I really doubt they noticed in the in between time either. Because they don’t care Stiles. They don’t give a shit about you. They never did. If they did then your dad would have pulled himself out of the bottle enough to help you. Melissa would have realised instead of always dashing off to work. Scott wouldn’t have been quite so oblivious, but, then, it’s Scott, what can you expect? But, even now, have any of them asked how you’re doing? Why you look so god damn tired? Why you’re barely sleeping? Barely eating? Did they notice how many panic attacks you’ve had in the past few days alone? Did they notice that you smelled of tears and fear? Or how your hands just won’t stop shaking?” Gusion paused and the entire pack was staring at Stiles in shock now.

“You’re lying. You’re lying, we would have noticed that.” Isaac insisted and Gusion laughed again.

“Noticed? Really? You don’t notice him at all, you don’t know him, not like I do, you wouldn’t know the real Stiles if he came up and kicked you in your little werewolf face. But I do, Stiles, I’ve seen everything that Rafael has seen, I’ve seen you grit your teeth and smile at him like it’s not going against everything you feel to pretend like you can even bear to be in the same room as him. They don’t know you Stiles, they don’t give a shit about you, they never have. But I do. I’m willing to help you. I’m willing to let you get your revenge.” 

“That’s not true. We care about Stiles, we all do.” Scott shouted.

“Really? Well you’ve done a poor job of showing it.” Gusion laughed.

“You stay the hell away from him. You touch him and I’ll kill you!” Noah screamed loudly when Gusion pressed against Stiles’ skin again and another cut appeared.

“Funny you should say that, I mean, that’s pretty much exactly how I threatened Stiles too, he kept quiet and behaved himself or I kill you, and, well, we both know the only reason you are still alive is because I’m a damn good shot, only had to warn him the once though, he’s a quick study.” Gusion remarked. 

“What are you talking about?” Noah asked in confusion.

“Oh, come on, I thought you were supposed to be smart, when you weren’t drowning yourself at the bottom of a bottle. I’ll give you a hint, they never did catch the guy who shot you, did they?” Gusion sneered and Noah stared at him like he’d grown a second head.

“Rafael…Rafael was the one who shot me?” Noah queried.

“Ding, ding, ding, give the man a prize!” Gusion crowed, “Now, why on earth would he shoot you?” 

“I don’t, this doesn’t make any sense, why would he shoot me? To blackmail Stiles into keeping quiet? That’s ridiculous, Stiles tells me everything.” Noah said, his mind already racing back to that period of his life, how Stiles had been quiet, withdrawn, how he’d told his dad how much he loved him and wanted him to carry on protecting the town, and, Noah, Noah had asked him about, Stiles had said he needed to talk to him about something important and when Noah had asked, Stiles had said it was nothing and Noah had dismissed it. 

“Right, sure he does. Like he told you about werewolves straight away?” Gusion scoffed. 

“Stiles, what’s he talking about? What were you keeping secret?” Noah pressed and Stiles shook his head.

“He’s lying. He’s a demon. He’s lying. It’s all lies.” Stiles denied, still pulling uselessly on the arm that was holding him in place. 

“If you don’t tell them, I will.” Gusion threatened and Stiles tugged harder on his arm.

“Shut up! Shut up! It’s lies! It’s all lies!” Stiles said desperately. 

“Stiles, tell me what’s going on.” Noah said seriously and Stiles looked to be on the verge of bursting into tears, it made Noah feel genuine terror, because, he’d never seen his son look so on edge before, whatever Stiles wasn’t saying was something big and it terrified Noah because it was something he’d never even noticed. 

“No, no, please, please, just stop.” Stiles pleaded with Gusion and the demon only smirked in reply. 

“Wow, I’ve just got the strongest sense of déjà vu, although the last time, I had you underneath me.” He taunted and the entire room sucked in a breath, as if unable to believe what they’d just heard.

“You raped my son!?” Noah shouted in rage, pulling on his bindings even harder than he had been doing and yet he still wasn’t getting anywhere. 

“Oh yes, more than once. I had a lot of fun with him. I was happy to have a repeat as soon as I got back to town, but, Stiles, well, he made sure he was always out or blocking his door and well, I couldn’t make too much noise, couldn’t have you overhearing, could I?” Gusion teased and Noah had turned an odd shade of purple. 

“You bastard! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!” Noah screamed whereas Derek looked like he was about to throw up, along with the rest of the pack, Scott and Melissa both looking at Rafael like they’d never seen him before. 

“You don’t know the half of it.” Gusion laughed and Stiles wished the ground would swallow him up, he didn’t want them to know this, he couldn’t be here, they were never supposed to find out, they were never supposed to know how weak he was. “Come on Stiles, stop being such a party pooper, I already told you, they don’t care about you, they didn’t even notice, I know you think you’re good at hiding things, but, you’re not, they just didn’t even pay enough attention to notice, because they don’t care. I don’t know how many times I have to tell you this before you get it through that thick skull of yours, they don’t give a damn about you Stiles. They never did.”

“Stiles, tell me this isn’t true!? Tell me he didn’t!?” Scott asked and Stiles gritted his teeth, forcing himself to look at his best friend, staring at the tears in Scott’s eyes, the complete disbelief in his eyes, he couldn’t believe that his dad was this monster and Stiles, well, Stiles couldn’t bear to see Scott looking so destroyed, couldn’t bear to be the cause of it. 

“No, it’s not true, he’s lying.” Stiles said, praying his heart stayed steady, Gusion laughed from in front of him and Stiles flinched backwards slightly and Scott, well, Scott looked like all hope had been destroyed and Stiles knew he’d failed, he knew he’d let his best friend down. 

“Really? You want me to offer them proof?” Gusion remarked and Stiles grunted as he was thrown forwards again, his head smashed into the kitchen worktop and he felt Rafael’s hands on his belt.

“No, no, no, stop.” Stiles cried desperately, trying to pull away from him, trying to get away and failing miserably. 

“Don’t worry Noah, I’m not about to fuck him right now, no matter how delectable Rafael thinks he looks like this, I mean you wouldn’t believe how excited he was about the fact Stiles is a virgin again, born again or not, the idea he gets to take his virginity again, oh, it just drives him crazy, but, it’s not about to happen right now. I just want you to see the proof for yourself…”

“Stop it! Please! Please! Don’t!” Stiles begged, his breath starting to come in gasps as his jeans were unbuckled, it was getting hard for him to concentrate, all he felt was overwhelming terror, he wasn’t even able to attempt to control his emotions so the wolves wouldn’t smell it, he was fucking terrified and he couldn’t think, couldn’t even try to calm himself down. He felt cool air hit his bare ass and flinched when Rafael’s hand came into contact with it. 

“See?” Gusion explained and Stiles scrunched his eyes tighter, begging for this to be a horrible nightmare, desperate to believe that he’d wake up in his own bed any second now. “I mean, you don’t think Stiles would actually want those initials carved into his ass, do you? You don’t think that he let me do it voluntarily? No, he kicked and shouted and screamed and could do nothing about it. I enjoyed that, I enjoyed when he struggled, it made it so much more interesting, seeing if I could keep him quiet.” 

“You sick fuck!” Melissa raged, staring at the marks on that took up a small section of Stiles’ ass cheek with horror, they were faded, completely healed, not what she’d been expecting, Scott had come home last night explaining that Stiles had slept with his dad, it had horrified Melissa, and rightly so, but, she’d assumed it had been quite a recent thing, as in, the last couple of weeks, except, those marks looked old, and not a few months old, more like years.

She began to piece together what Gusion had said so far tonight, about how he had been sleeping with someone else when he shoved Scott down the stairs, that he’d shot Noah in order to get Stiles to behave, how Stiles had tried to deny it, the comments about pulling his hair, when the last time Stiles had had long hair had been just after his mom’s death, how he’d shaved it off one day without any warning and Noah had freaked out when he’d noticed it, how Stiles was the reason he’d left, in case he didn’t keep his mouth shut, and, god, those marks, those old marks, and, suddenly, with sick clarity, it came to her. 

“No, no, no, no, no.” She muttered under her breath, she would have known, she would have noticed, she had to have noticed, that couldn’t have been going on in her house without her knowing. She was wrong. She had to be wrong. But, the facts added up, and, god, how could she have been so blind!?

“Melissa?” Peter queried, worry in his tone, but Melissa felt sick, she was going to kill him, she’d kill him, how fucking dare he!?

“You bastard!” She screamed, launching herself against the ropes holding her in place with enough force to move the chair forwards, it tipped and she fell to the ground but she was still raging, oblivious to the shouts of confusion around her, “You sick bastard! I’ll kill you! You raped him! You raped a fucking child! You, I’ll kill you! I’m going to fucking kill you!”

“Finally got there, have you?” Gusion teased, “I really thought someone would piece it together sooner than that, honestly, call yourself a sheriff!?” He commented to Noah, “I mean, I dropped so many hints, and yet, still, it was you that figured it out first. Congratulations, I’d offer you a prize, but, really, it took you long enough. You know, old Raph here, he was sure you suspected at the very least, thought you’d just decided to turn a blind eye, but, evidently not, you had no idea, no idea what was going on in your house every single time you left for work.” 

“What…” Noah started, his voice trailing off as the evidence clicked in his own mind, “No, no, that’s not, I would have, no, you’re lying, Stiles, tell me he’s lying.” 

“Yeah, Stiles,” Gusion taunted, pressing his head into the worktop hard enough that Stiles was sure he was going to be left with bruises at the very least before he pulled him upright, flush against Rafael’s body, his trousers still unbuckled, and forced him to look at the pack in front of him, “Tell daddy how I didn’t rape you days after your mom’s death. Tell him how it didn’t go on for years. Tell him how you tried to think your way out of it by telling him you were old enough to stay here by yourself and instead he asked me to keep an eye on you. Tell him how I didn’t come here every day, let myself in with the key your dad gave me, dragged you from whatever place you’d tried to hide yourself and then spend the next couple of hours fucking you until I was completely satisfied. Go on, I know you can do it, lie to him, it’s all you know how to do after all.” 

“Stiles? Please, tell me he’s lying kid, tell me it’s not true?” Noah pleaded, but he could already see the truth in Stiles’ eyes, he felt the tears spilling down his cheeks because he’d failed his son, he’d been too lost in his own grief to notice what Stiles had been going through, god, Claudia would be so ashamed of him, and Stiles, god, how could Stiles ever forgive him? He should have noticed. He should have paid attention and instead he’d left his son with that monster, time after time, for years, god, for years. “Oh god, oh god, I should have, oh god.” Noah sobbed, shaking his head in despair, feeling sick to his stomach because he should have fucking realised.

“You’ve got your revenge, that’s what you wanted, right? For me to suffer? Well, you’ve got it. So, just kill me, okay? Just kill me and let them go.” Stiles said, refusing to look anyone in the eyes, instead looking at the ceiling as he spoke to Gusion behind him. 

“No! No! You can’t! Please! You can’t!” Derek pleaded, knowing it would be no use, they were all too weak to beat the demon, and, Stiles, god, he couldn’t lose Stiles, he couldn’t watch him die knowing that their last words had been angry, he couldn’t watch him die period. 

“I already told you Stiles, I’m not going to kill you.” Gusion said simply, “And it was never about making you suffer, it was about making them suffer, because they never gave a shit about you, they never cared about you, they took you for granted, they needed to pay for that.”

“You’re getting revenge on them for me?” Stiles asked completely confused, “But I don’t want…”

“Shush, you don’t know what you want, but I do. I told you, I’ve seen you through his eyes, I know you better than any of these people. Why do you think I came here Stiles? Rafael’s vengeance on you? It’s nothing, it’s infinitesimally small, almost inconsequential. But, you, can you imagine the kind of vengeance I could reap with you at my side? The kind of feast I’ll have?” Gusion asked and Stiles’ hand went instantly to the anti-possession charm at his neck, “Oh please, you think that can stop me? I took control of this one easily enough. I’ll let you in on a little secret, it works better if it’s inked into the skin, otherwise it’s pretty much useless.” Gusion teased, ripping the charm from around Stiles’ neck and throwing it on the ground. 

“Exorcizamus te…” Stiles started before he was thrown clear across the room, skidding across the ground and smashing into his father’s legs. “…Omnis immunde spiritus…” He tried again, this time he was slammed into the kitchen table and Gusion laughed, “…Omni satanica potestaas…” Stiles tried again, Gusion stuck a hand out and Stiles found himself flying through the room, straight into the outstretched hand that tightened around his throat, cutting off his air supply. 

“That’s not funny anymore Stiles.” Gusion snarled, “Now, you can play nice or you can fight me, but, either way, this is only going to end one way, with me wearing your pretty little meatsuit and tearing each of them apart piece by piece.” 

“I won’t let you!” Stiles choked out.

“You don’t have a choice!” Gusion shouted in reply, still choking Stiles when suddenly a cloud of black smoke poured out of Rafael and surged towards Stiles, Rafael’s hand dropped from his throat and Stiles fell to the ground, coughing and spluttering for air as the black smoke seemed to overwhelm him, he could hear the pack shouting, but it sounded far away, too far for them to help him, and he felt it, knew the instant that Gusion had entered his body and was beginning to take control of him.

Noah could only watch in horror as the demon left Rafael behind and entered his own son’s body, Stiles stood up, brushing himself down and giving them a smirk, complete with black eyes, that didn’t belong on his son’s face. He tried to move towards them but one of his legs didn’t move properly and he nearly fell on his face.

“Well, this is a bit of a rush. I’ve never possessed a mage before.” Gusion grinned. 

“A mage?” Noah asked in confusion, watching as Gusion stumbled again, catching onto the countertop to stop himself from falling. 

“Stiles, I’m warning you. Stop fighting me. It won’t end well for you.” Gusion growled under his breath and Noah couldn’t help but feel incredibly proud of his son in that moment, that he was fighting hard enough to stop this demon from taking control completely. Gusion took a step towards them when a black goo started to drip from his nose and he let out a serious growl, striding towards Noah and grabbing him around the throat, “Stop the fucking exorcism right now or I rip daddy’s throat out.” 

“Don’t, Stiles, don’t stop.” Noah whispered, wanting his son to be free of this monster, wanting them all to be free of him. 

“You think you can finish it before I kill your dad?” Gusion asked, the goo dripping steadily from his nose until it stopped suddenly, Gusion stood up straighter, swiping the goo away and looking at it with amusement before he let go of Noah, “That’s better. Now, let’s have a look through these memories you’re trying to keep from me.” Gusion said, turning away from them and moving back to the countertop, rubbing his temples with his fingertips, his eyes closed in concentration. 

“What do we do?” Scott whispered, the first words he’d spoken since finding out his dad had raped his best friend repeatedly. 

“I don’t know. Maybe distract him long enough that we can get Stiles to finish the exorcism?” Lydia answered. 

“Shut up! Stop talking! I’m fucking warning you Stiles! Don’t make me kill them before I’m ready!” Gusion cursed and Derek actually felt a sick sense of satisfaction at that, that Stiles would still be fighting him in whatever way he could, because Stiles was so fucking strong, so incredible, so brave to the point of idiocy, because, of course Stiles would try talking the demon’s ear off in an attempt to distract him from the pack. 

“You should have realised that before you tried possessing him.” Derek commented, “If you knew him at all and not just through Rafael’s memories, you’d know he can talk all day and all night if he wants to.” He smirked. 

“Shut up!” Gusion snarled at Derek, “You know nothing. You know nothing about him.” He paused as if listening to something none of them could hear, “No Stiles, no, you don’t get to fight me on this, I don’t care, you must want vengeance, I’ve seen what you’ve done for your friends, I’ve seen what revenge you’ve taken in their names, now, you must desire vengeance for yourself, show me, show me everything.” 

Gusion returned to rubbing his temples, blood staining his fingers from the multiple cuts on Stiles’ body and face until he slammed his fist into the table in annoyance, making them all jump at the noise in the sudden silence.

“Damn it! Just my god damn luck that I’d get a mage who wants vengeance for others and not for his own needs.” Gusion cursed, turning his attention to Rafael when he let out a low groan. Noah had been hoping the man was dead, he fucking deserved to be dead, but, instead, no, he was alive and apparently, waking up from his possession. 

“What happened?” Rafael groaned in annoyance, looking around and seeing the pack staring at him, all of them looked ready to murder him, he looked up at Stiles who was standing above him, his eyes completely black as the demon possessed him, and, suddenly everything came rushing back to him, everything Gusion had told them, everything the demon had pulled from his mind, god, it was all out in the open now, everything he’d done, after he’d worked so hard to keep it secret, damn it. “I can explain…”

“Explain what? Explain how you raped me for nearly four years, that if Scott hadn’t walked in because he heard me shouting that it probably would have carried on? You think that can be explained away?”

“No, no, it wasn’t like that, it wasn’t, there was, that’s not what happened.” Rafael lied. 

“Really? So, when you drugged Scott and you raped me in his bed, right next to him, just to prove a point that nobody could help me, that I begged for him to wake up, for you to stop, that wasn’t rape? That’s not what you were doing to me?” Stiles accused him.

“No, no, I loved you Stiles, I still love you.” Rafael said.

“Love!? Love me? You don’t know the meaning of the word love!” Stiles scoffed.

“You drugged me?” Scott stared at his father with disgust in his eyes and Stiles turned to face Scott.

“Oh don’t act like you’re so innocent Scott!” Stiles shouted, “It’s your fault! I shouted for help, I screamed for you to help me and you never did! ‘Please Scott, please, help me! Mr McCall, stop, please, Scott, wake up! Help me! Scott! Please!’” Gusion mocked, sounding like a terrified version of Stiles that none of them had ever heard before, it pained them all to hear it, to know how terrified Stiles would have been, “What did you do!? You did nothing! It’s your fault! It’s all your fault!” Gusion screamed angrily before he stopped suddenly, rolling his eyes and examining his fingernails in interest, “I know you know how this works Stiles, you have to actually blame them for me to get any kind of high from this whole thing. Okay, so you don’t blame Scott, maybe you blame your dad?” 

Gusion turned to Noah with a smirk on his lips, leaning in close and allowing his eyes to fade back to Stiles’ normal amber.

“I tried to talk to you dad, I tried to tell you what was going on, and you never listened to me, you were too busy drinking yourself to death to give a shit what happened to me, what was happening to me every single day, and not just at Scott’s, in our home, I wasn’t safe, not anywhere, and if you’d bothered to pay any attention to me you would have realised, I mean, god, I begged you for a dog, I had the stupid idea that it would be able to protect me when you weren’t around, that it would keep him away but, no, you didn’t think I was responsible enough, god how I prayed you would notice, I wanted you to notice dad, I wanted you to see the bruises, I wanted you to see the cuts and the blood on my clothes, but you were never there…” Gusion paused before sighing heavily, “No, not him either. So come on then Stiles, who do you blame!?” He shouted to the room at large, “You don’t blame your best friend who didn’t notice, you don’t blame your dad who barely stopped drinking to function, you don’t blame Melissa who always went off to work, hell, you don’t even blame the man that did it. Sure, you hate him, you think he’s sick, but, what? You don’t blame him? You think you deserved it? Why is that?” 

Gusion turned away from the pack, wandering around the room evidently searching through Stiles’ memories, his feelings on each one, looking for someone to blame. The others were all looking at each other in fear, from what Rachel had said she hadn’t been able to get Gusion to even talk to her, acknowledge her in any way, and, with Rafael, there had been no hint that the demon had even been in there until Stiles hit him with holy water, and, even after that, when Rafael allowed his eyes to go back to their normal brown, they could even forget that a demon was possessing him. With Stiles, well, that was a completely different story, it was as if Gusion barely had control at some points, he looked agitated, rubbing his temples, pacing across the room, hyped up with energy as he argued with Stiles. 

Gusion let out a bark of bright laughter and stopped his pacing.

“Really? Really Stiles? Well, this, this is just comical. I mean, now, what do I do with this? I mean, on the one hand I could kill you, I’d get a feast from that, because, honestly, I’ve never met anyone with so much self-hatred. How pathetic that the only person you blame for it all is you? But, that sums you up really, doesn’t it? You are pathetic, you’re weak. You were too weak to stop him. You were too scared to tell your dad what was going on. Too scared that he’d be taken away from you too and then you’d be left with that monster, forced to live with him, forced to pretend that it was fine when he touched you, when you knew his hands were the one that put a bullet in your father and you still didn’t have the balls to stand up to him. You are weak Stiles, you deserved everything that happened to you and you, you are the one to blame.” 

“No he’s not!” Noah shouted angrily, “Stiles, this was not your fault. It wasn’t. That sick bastard raped you, he abused you, he took advantage of a terrified kid who’d just lost his mother and his father was too busy grieving to notice, but, it is not your fault. It isn’t. Please, Stiles, please listen to me, believe me, it is not your fault.” 

“You think that’ll work dad? Do you really? Because you have no idea how much I hate myself, how much I blame myself, if Gusion kills me, he could go years without needing another meal, you have no idea how rare that is. You think one touching little speech from you will change that? You think it will make me hate myself any less? You think it will stop me from feeling like a pathetic, idiotic, weak little kid who will never be brave enough to be worthy of anything? I mean, we all know why Derek didn’t offer me the bite but Peter did, because Peter saw how fucked up I am, how broken and worthless I am, he wanted to give me the bite because he wanted a monster on his side, but, Derek, Derek would never offer me the bite, because he sees me, he sees it too, he sees how broken I am, he sees how damaged I am, how weak, how pathetic, how stupid, what a liability I’d be and he would never, never, want me in his pack. I know it. You know it. We all know it. I mean I really wanted to ask Derek for help, I really wanted to ask him to protect me, to keep Rafael away, to let me be able to sleep in my own bed without the terror of waking up to find him there, god, I wanted to ask him for help so badly, the guy I think of as my Alpha, but I couldn’t, because he’s not, because I’m nothing, I’m nothing to him, to any of them, I’m not pack, how could I possibly ask them for help? How could I even expect them to want to? I mean, I’m pathetic, I’m disgusting, I’m nothing, I’m worse than nothing.” 

“Stiles, no, that’s not true.” Derek said, feeling like he’d been kicked in the gut. He’d never offered Stiles the bite because Stiles didn’t want it, Stiles was magnificent without the bite, he didn’t need to become something else, he was already strong, brave, caring, loyal, he didn’t need anything else to make him better or stronger or more courageous or anything like that, he was already brilliant.

“Of course he’s going to deny it Stiles, he doesn’t want to hurt your feelings, but you know the truth, you know you don’t deserve to be part of the pack, and why would you want to be? After everything you’ve done for them they cast you aside, they left you alone, they never even thanked you.” There was a pause and then Gusion snorted, “Everybody wants thanks Stiles, don’t deny it, so you took vengeance on those who tried to hurt them, you kept it secret, but, you know, deep down, way deep down, you wanted them to notice what you’d done, you wanted them to be grateful to you, you wanted them to notice you.” 

“What are you talking about?” Erica asked angrily, “We notice Stiles! We care about him! Don’t play games with his head! We love him!” Gusion grinned and strode towards Erica and leaned close towards her, his black eyes boring into hers. 

“You love him, or you did, once, you asked him out and he rejected you. It wasn’t anything personal, I hope you understand that, he just didn’t want to date anyone, he told Scott it was because he was in love with Lydia but that wasn’t true, he just picked her because he knew she was way out of his league, really, he just couldn’t bear the thought of being with anybody. Hated the thought of someone touching him. Knew that sex would just bring back memories of all the times he’d begged for it to stop, all the times he’d cried himself to sleep at night because it hurt and he didn’t know how to make it stop, all the times he’d had to clean up the blood, hide the bruises, wash until his skin was raw red and yet he still never felt clean. So don’t be upset that he said no, although, he likes you, he doesn’t fancy you, no, not that, but, he does like you. It’s why he went after Josh Green on your behalf, because that little fucker put up the video of your seizure and Stiles wasn’t going to stand for that.”

“He was the one responsible for Josh being pulled up the flagpole by his boxers?” Isaac said in shock and Stiles grinned turning his attention to Isaac.

“Oh, and that’s not all, who do you think sent those photos in of your dad beating you? He saw the look in your eyes at school, the fear, he knew you were being abused and he took vengeance on your dad for you, but, you, you never noticed the same look in his eyes, you never paid attention Isaac. Then there’s what he did for Boyd, I mean, hearing them calling him a freak, Stiles didn’t like that, no, no that wasn’t fair, it was perfectly acceptable for him to get revenge, you have no idea how hard it was to get that much itching powder in their clothes without getting any on himself, but, it had to be done. Not that you noticed, or Boyd noticed, or anyone noticed, because you’re too wrapped up in your own lives to give a shit about him.”

“Leave them alone.” Jackson growled and Stiles barked out a laugh.

“Standing up for Isaac? Really, come on Jacks, I thought you had less of a back bone than that. Although, we all know Stiles kept your little secret too. Pretending that you didn’t like him because he had a crush on Lydia, when really it’s because you had a little crush of your own when you guys were in first grade and Stiles said he liked you as a friend but he didn’t like kissing yo…” Stiles’ eyes flashed amber for a moment and he stumbled in his steps, “Stiles! I’ve told you! Stop it!” He growled, grabbing hold of his own wrist and applying pressure for a moment before they flashed back to black again. “Shall I tell you all of his little secrets? He doesn’t want me too, he didn’t want you to know, not now, not ever, willing to take them to his grave, but, you know, I’ll get a lot of pleasure from the guilt you’ll feel when you realise just how little you know about him, how many times you’ve let him down or taken him for granted, and since I’m thinking that I’ll get a lot more benefit from staying in this body than killing him, I think I’m going to get as much of a feed as I can. Because, you know, he’s so sick in the head, that seeing you guys upset actually hurts him, knowing you are hurting because of him, it makes him feel so fucking guilty and I get such a rush from that.”

“You’re the sick one.” Noah spat angrily, “Stiles is stronger than you.”

“Oh, yeah, he’s strong alright, I definitely didn’t think that weak, pathetic, worthless Stiles would put up quite so much of a fight as he is doing. But, me, I’m stronger.” Gusion smiled and Derek heard Stiles’ heart beat stutter at the lie.

“You’re not.” He said in shock.

“What?” Gusion stared at him.

“You’re not stronger than him. You’re lying. Stiles is stronger than you are.” Derek grinned victoriously and Gusion froze for a moment before he bared his teeth and narrowed his eyes, sauntering over to Derek and straddling his lap, Derek leaned as far back as he could, not wanting to be anywhere near Stiles when he was possessed by a demon, not when he’d just found out about how badly Stiles had been hurt by someone else who claimed to love him.

“Derek? What’s happening?” Stiles asked, his voice trembling slightly, his amber eyes staring at Derek with uncertainty in them, it was Stiles, it had to be Stiles, “Derek, please, help me, please, I can’t, I can’t stop him…please, please, I need you to help me.” 

“I’m here Stiles, I’m right here, just, say the exorcism, say it now, please.” Derek replied, leaning forwards slightly to try and offer Stiles whatever comfort he could while he was still tied to the chair, resting his head gently against Stiles’ chest and wishing he could do something else to help, Stiles broke out in a blinding grin and his eyes flashed black again and he smirked at Derek widely, grinding his hips slightly against Derek’s and Derek forced himself to focus on the fact Stiles was possessed and not think about how good Stiles’ weight felt on his lap. 

“Had you fooled for a second then, didn’t I?” Gusion teased, “The thing is, Stiles might have been stronger than me one day, if he’d had anyone training him, but, all he is right now is untapped potential and raw power, even if he could stop me, even if he wasn’t weak and pathetic and begging me to stop, he still wouldn’t know how.” Gusion said, grinding Stiles’ hips again. 

“Get the fuck off me.” Derek snarled, unable to believe he’d believed, for even a moment, that it was Stiles that had been speaking.

“What’s wrong Derek? I thought you wanted this? I thought you wanted to fuck me?” Gusion smirked and Derek felt sick, he’d never want Stiles, not like this, not when he wasn’t in control. “You know, the things I have done for you, it’s enough to make you want to weep, I mean, Gerard had a lot of fun with me, made me scream, you see this…” Stiles raised his shirt slightly and showed Derek a scar across his hip that he’d never seen before, “He did this when I wouldn’t tell them where you were hiding, and this one…” He raised his shirt a little higher showing off another slightly thicker scar just under his ribcage, Derek scowled when he saw Rafael’s initials carved again, a little higher, just below Stiles pec, close to his heart, he would kill him, “I think he did that one for fun, I mean, he knew by that point I wasn’t going to tell him anything, he’d had me for hours by that point, and your betas were useless, tied up unconscious in the corner, they weren’t able to help me, and I was too weak to fight back, not that I would have even tried, I couldn’t have left them there, so I went through hours of torture praying that Scott would turn up, or you would turn up, but, no, you didn’t. You didn’t even notice I was missing, and, then, when I escaped, when I carried your betas out of there and got them to a safe house, despite the fact I was bleeding and in pain, that I felt I was going to pass out at least half a dozen times before I got them there, and, then, instead of getting the actual medical help that I needed, I came to help you, because Gerard was controlling Jackson and as much as I think he’s a jackass, being controlled like that, it’s just not fair, so, of course I had to help him, no matter what it cost me.” 

Derek couldn’t believe what he was hearing, Stiles had been tortured by Gerard, he’d been tortured for hours and Derek hadn’t known, how could he not have known? It didn’t make sense. He knew he’d had a lot going on that night, that he’d been reeling from Scott’s betrayal, but, still, he should have been able to smell Stiles’ blood, so how come he hadn’t?

“I don’t, how could I not have noticed that?” Derek queried and Stiles laughed.

“Because there’s so much you never noticed about me Derek, be honest, it’s not like you gave a damn, not really, you might say you care, but, if you cared at all you would have noticed that I was falling apart this last week, instead you spent the last few days wallowing in your own jealousy, you say you care but you only care when it suits you. And here I am, offering it to you on a plate,” Stiles leaned closer and even though Derek tried to move away he still felt Stiles’ soft lips press against his earlobe and nibble just the slightest bit, Derek bit his bottom lip and let out a growl to warn Stiles away, “Don’t you want to Derek? I’ll make it so much fun for you, hell, I bet I can even get Stiles to enjoy it if you like?” 

“Go to hell.” Derek snarled.

“I’ve been before, it didn’t agree with me, and now, now I’m here and I have no intention of going back…” Gusion began before he paused, his mouth dropping open and he climbed off Derek, turning on the spot in the kitchen and grabbing a knife from the cutting block, “You know what? You might be on to something there.” Stiles smirked evilly turning to Rafael with the knife in his hand.

“What are you doing? Stiles, please.” Rafael pleaded and Gusion laughed.

“What a reversal of roles.” He taunted, “How many times did I plead with you to leave me alone? To stop? And you, you never did, tell me why I should?” 

“You’re not Stiles! If you kill him, claim responsibility for it, don’t pretend that you’re him!” Noah snarled, “You can kill Rafael, if you don’t, I will, but, don’t make out that it’s my son that’s doing the deed, you are not him!” 

“Please, please, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, don’t kill me.” Rafael pleaded and Gusion took a menacing step forwards before the knife dropped from his hand to the ground and Gusion growled.

“I told you to stop fighting me!” He roared, “He deserves death Stiles!”

“No, please, please, I’m sorry Stiles, I’m sorry, I love you.” Rafael said. 

“You have no idea how repulsive those words are to him, he hates you, hates you with every fibre of his being, so stop protecting him Stiles! Let me kill him! Stop fighting me! This will be so much easier if you just stop fighting me.” Gusion snapped, his attention diverted from Rafael as he paced across the kitchen and rubbed his temples, “Okay, look, I’m willing to not kill you, you have more use alive than dead, but that doesn’t mean I won’t hurt you if I have to.”

“Don’t hurt him!” Isaac cried out and Gusion growled at him, flinging out a hand and watching with amazement as Isaac’s chair lifted off the floor and flew back into the wall behind him before crashing to the floor, the chair shattering and Isaac lying unconscious and unmoving. 

“Huh, that’s impressive.” Gusion muttered before he waved his hand again and Rafael flew from the floor to smash into the ceiling, Gusion walked under him, staring at him in bemusement before he stepped backwards and brought his hand down, smashing Rafael back into the floor, and snorting as the man whimpered in pain before he slipped into unconsciousness, “Well, this changes things.”

“What? What are you talking about?” Derek queried and Gusion laughed brightly, sounding so gleeful that it made Derek nauseous. 

“Who needs petty vengeance when I can take over Hell? I mean, I think I’d look good on a throne, don’t you? Oh, Crowley isn’t going to know what hit him.” Gusion smirked before he winked at Derek and promptly popped out of existence.


	4. Chapter 4

“No!” Derek called in terror, “Stiles!” He screamed, “Come back! Come back!” He shouted, pulling on the ropes as hard as he could and snarling when he still couldn’t break them. “Isaac! Isaac wake up!” He ordered, he was panicking, Gusion had control of Stiles’ body and he was taking him somewhere, they had to find him.

“Where did he go? Where did he take my son?” Noah shouted in terror as Isaac groaned, regaining consciousness slowly and staggering to his feet, snatching up the dropped knife and cutting through the ropes binding Derek in place. 

Derek ran out of the house, trusting Isaac to release the rest of the pack from their ropes while he tried to track Stiles’ scent, ignoring the fact that he already knew it would be useless, he heard the rapid pounding of more feet leaving the house behind him, knew the others were looking for Stiles too, but where did they even start? 

“Derek!” Noah called from inside the house a minute later, sounding so relieved and terrified at the same time that Derek raced back, knowing it must mean Stiles was back. He ran into the room, stared at Stiles who had a hand wrapped around Melissa’s throat, black goo dripping from his nose, Derek raced forward, planning on charging Stiles, instead he was flung backwards with a flick of the wrist from Stiles. 

“You think that was smart? Wait until we’re away from them and trying to exorcize me again!? I can get back to them long before your little exorcism starts to have any effect! You try it again and I will kill them, do you understand me Stiles?” Gusion snarled angrily, “I said, do you understand me!?” There was a pause and Gusion smiled, “Good, I knew I could convince you eventually.” Gusion dropped Melissa and she fell to the floor, coughing for breath. “I would say I’ll be seeing you but, if Stiles behaves, I won’t be.” Gusion taunted before he once again vanished from their sight.

“No!” Noah cried, rushing forward to the spot where his son had been stood only a moment ago, “No! Stiles!” Noah sobbed, staring in horror, looking at the pack as if they’d be able to provide him with a solution. 

“We’ll find him.” Lydia said, “Gusion said about looking good on a throne and Crowlen…” 

“Crowley.” Noah corrected her.

“Yes, Crowley, about him not knowing what hit him. That’s something to start with, we can, I don’t know, research the name, see what we come up with.” Lydia insisted.

“Research!? Research? That thing is running around wearing my son’s face and you want to research a name? That could take weeks!” Noah shouted angrily before he looked at Lydia’s shocked face and groaned, rubbing a hand down his face, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, this isn’t your fault, I’m just, god, god damn it!” Noah said, smashing his fist into the kitchen counter. 

“Noah, I know this is difficult, but we will find him and we will get him back.” Peter said as calmly as he could manage but it was obvious to all of them that he seemed almost as upset about all of this as the rest of them and that was saying something. Scott had been knocked to the ground when Gusion had blasted Derek backwards and he hadn’t gotten up yet, staring at the floor obviously in shock, Isaac and Allison both rubbing a hand on his shoulders reassuringly. Erica was hugging tightly to Boyd who was holding her, his expression troubled and he looked to be on the verge of tears, Jackson was helping Melissa to her feet, examining her neck for injuries while Peter and Lydia both hovered nervously nearby, Noah was holding his head in his hands looking on the verge of a breakdown and Derek was, well, he was barely holding it together. Stiles was possessed, he was being held captive by something wearing his body and there was nothing Derek could do to help him. 

Rafael blinked open his eyes, feeling every muscle in his body protest at the movement, being thrown into the ceiling and then back into the floor had definitely done a number on him, thankfully at the moment nobody seemed to be paying him any attention, they all looked to be in shock and Rafael closed his eyes again, his mind racing, how the hell was he going to get out of this one? They knew the truth now. There was no denying that. 

“I know you’re awake.” Scott mumbled from nearby and Rafael startled slightly, opening his eyes and looking at his son with wide, apologetic eyes. 

“Scott…” Rafael whispered, sitting up slowly so as not to draw attention from the rest of the pack, who, as of yet, hadn’t seemed to notice him, too wrapped up trying to process their own thoughts.

“What Rafael? What can you possibly be planning to say to make up for what you’ve done?” Scott said sounding so destroyed that Rafael actually felt bad about what had happened, he’d never wanted to hurt his son this way. 

“Son, please, I’m sorry…” He began.

“Sorry for what?” Scott spat angrily, his voice raising as he spoke, “Sorry for raping my best friend for years? Or sorry we found out?” 

“Scott, it wasn’t like that…” Rafael tried again, even though every eye was on them now. 

“What!? Wasn’t like what!? You RAPED him! You ABUSED him! You carved your fucking initials into his skin, not once but TWICE!” Scott screamed and then all the anger just seemed to vanish out of him, instead he just looked devastated, like he just couldn’t understand it. “How? How could you do that? To Stiles? He was like a son to you! I know he was, all those times the two of you spent in your office going through his homework because he could never concentrate in class, and, oh god, oh god, I can’t, there was never any help with his homework was there!? Oh, god, oh my god, I’m such a fucking idiot, how could I not have known, I just, I can’t believe that you’d do this. So, explain it to me, make me understand how you thought it was okay to rape him? How it was okay to terrify him? Attempt to kill his dad just to keep him quiet? Tell me how that was okay in your head, please, tell me, help me understand, please.” 

“You think there’s any way this was okay? Any way to understand why he did this?” Peter asked in disgust. “He’s a pervert. A rapist. A paedophile. You heard what he said, he wanted to do it again, was planning on doing it again, he was planning on raping Stiles again if he’d got the chance, you heard him. There’s no understanding him. There’s no trying to make sense of it. We should just kill him and make the world a safer place.” 

“I’m not a paedophile. It wasn’t like that, there’s never been, there’s only ever been…” Rafael tried to explain and failed miserably. 

“What? There was only ever Stiles? There was only ever my son that you raped and tormented!?” Noah screamed, Peter holding his arm in order to stop him from charging at Rafael and Noah trying to pull free of his grip, “You bastard! How could you!? How could you do this to him!? He was a fucking child! He was barely eight when his mom died! And you spent…god…years, years abusing him! You sick fuck! I’ll kill you!” Noah ranted and Rafael got to his feet slowly, only wincing the slightest bit, before he looked at Noah and sneered.

“You think it was all me? Where were you Noah? Your kid needed you and you were too busy trying to drown your sorrows to even notice him. Maybe if you’d given a damn about him then it wouldn’t have been years!” 

“You bastard!” Melissa screeched, Jackson stopping her from charging at Rafael although he looked disgusted, as if he wanted to tear Rafael’s throat out too. “You raped a child! Don’t you understand how wrong that is!? Don’t you get it? You’re sick! You’re, there’s something wrong with you, there’s no way in hell, you, I can’t even look at you, I can’t believe this, I can’t believe you’d do that! I thought, I thought you were having an affair and all that time you were raping Stiles in my home! In our home! You sick son of a bitch!” Melissa screamed and everyone could hear the agony in her voice, the betrayal, the hurt, the guilt she felt. 

“It wasn’t like that Mel, I didn’t…”

“Don’t! Don’t make excuses! What? Did Stiles lead you on? Did the eight-year-old child who had just lost his mother seduce you!?” She spat angrily and Rafael grimaced.

“You’re making it sound worse than it is…” He tried again.

“Worse than it is!?” Melissa shouted incredulously, “How!? How can I be making it sound worse than it is!?” 

“Stiles….we….I love him, I want to be with him, that demon made out it was worse than what it was, I didn’t rape…we had sex, and, yes, he was young, but, he wanted to, I know he did.” Rafael insisted. 

“He wanted to!!?” Noah screamed in disgust, “Sure, I can believe that, he wanted to have sex with you which is why you had to shoot me to get him to behave, he wanted to have sex with you which is why he started sleeping in a bed with Scott, he wanted to have sex with you which is why he begged me to let him stay here alone and you insisted it was no big deal to keep an eye on him. He is fucking terrified of you! That’s why I found him sleeping with his back to the door last night to keep you out! That’s why he shaved his hair off the moment you mentioned it’s length! You abused my kid! You raped him! There’s no court in the country that would ever think that Stiles wanted to have sex with you.” 

“Is that what you want to do? Lock me away? Take me away from my son?” Rafael asked.

“I’m no son of yours. I’m nothing to you. And you’re not my father. You disgust me.” Scott spat angrily and Rafael gritted his teeth and nodded. 

“I think we should kill him.” Melissa snarled and Jackson stared at her.

“You’re angry right now Mrs McCall, you’re not thinking straight.” He commented.

“Don’t call me that. That’s not my name. I’m never going to be called that again. And damn right I’m angry, but you can guarantee that I’ve never been thinking more clearly. I say we kill him.” Melissa snapped.

“Mel, come on, you don’t mean that.” Rafael pleaded. 

“Why don’t you beg me?” She shouted, “Why don’t you beg and plead and cry and wish for me to change my mind? Maybe it’ll work, except, Stiles begged you, Stiles pleaded with you, Stiles cried and screamed and prayed that you’d stop and instead you raped him, over and over again. Why do you deserve mercy when you didn’t offer it to a child?” 

“Mom’s right. You don’t deserve mercy. You didn’t show Stiles any. Even when you came back, you were taunting him, threatening him, you still don’t see how fucked up that is, you’ve shown no remorse for what you’ve done. You deserve death.” Scott snarled, his eyes glowing gold and his claws extending. 

“Noah?” Derek queried and Noah turned to look at him, “If you want me to, I’ll kill him?” Noah clenched his fists several times, gritting his teeth before he let out a long sigh.

“I want him dead.” He muttered and Derek nodded, taking a step forward before Noah put a hand on his arm, “But, you heard what Gusion said, Stiles was trying to fight him, stop him from killing Rafael. I want him dead, but, Stiles was the one who was wronged in all this, if, when we get him back, if he wants him dead, then we kill him, until then, I say we let him live.” 

“You can’t be serious!?” Scott said outraged, “He raped Stiles! And you’re just going to let him go until we get Stiles back!? He’ll run! We’ll never find him and he’ll get away with it! He’ll do it to someone else!”

“I told you there was ever only Stil…” Rafael started before Noah punched him in the face. 

“I never said anything about letting him go, I said we wouldn’t kill him. Until we get Stiles back, we keep him alive, and then the decision is up to Stiles.” Noah said, glaring at Rafael with disgust.

“You’re okay with that?” Rafael said to Noah, “Okay with your son basically ordering my death? You’re a sheriff! You’re supposed to care about the law! You want to punish me, take me in. Let me stand trial for my crimes! But killing me? Putting my death on your son’s shoulders? You think that’s the right thing to do?”

“If we kill you, it’ll be a group decision, it’ll be unanimous or not at all.” Noah replied evenly and Rafael laughed mockingly.

“So you’ll take a vote on if I die or not!? This is America! There’s such a thing as the justice system!” Rafael shouted.

“I don’t care about the system, I care about getting justice for my kid, in whatever way he wants.” Noah snapped, “Can one of you knock him out? Take him to the basement and tie him up down there, then we can focus on getting Stiles back?” Derek punched Rafael hard before Noah had finished speaking and Derek shrugged, they were lucky he hadn’t just torn the man’s throat out which is what he really wanted to do since the moment he’d smelled the terror coming from Stiles when Rafael had started undoing his trousers, it had made Derek’s wolf curl up in a ball and whimper with helplessness that Stiles was that terrified and there was nothing they could do. Noah reached for the nearest whiskey bottle, pouring himself a large measure just to try and steady the shaking in his hands.

Stiles had given up screaming at Gusion after three days of it not working. Sure, he’d gained enough control to force him to drop the knife and not kill Rafael, but then, he’d not been able to get control since, he’d had to watch helplessly as the demon had nearly choked Melissa to death with his hands. Admittedly, there had also been a few minutes where he couldn’t see what had happened at all, he’d been fighting so desperately that he could barely register what Gusion or any of the others were saying, all he could think about was getting him out of there, that this was Stiles’ body and he was the only one allowed to live in it. Gusion had done something, Stiles wasn’t sure what, but he’d locked him away in the back of his own mind and then there was a pain, sharp and powerful and sickening and Stiles had screamed in agony, knowing the noise never made it out of his own mouth.

Being possessed was probably the worst thing that had ever happened to Stiles, and there were plenty of crap things that he’d dealt with, but this, this was something new and something terrible. He could only watch as the demon scoured through his memories for the ones that would hurt him the most, could only sit by when Gusion told his dad and the pack all the things that Stiles had kept secret over the years, all the things he’d never wanted them to find out, all his deepest, darkest thoughts, exposed for them all to know, he’d only seen their looks of shock before everything had blacked out again, but, he’d still heard Gusion’s voice speaking to him, taunting him, telling him how pathetic and weak he was, before the pain started again, everything was silent and dark except for Stiles’ screams of pain and fear. 

He'd tried saying the exorcism again as soon as they’d left the house, except Gusion had returned them there instantly, grabbing Melissa and threatening to kill her if Stiles didn’t start behaving. Stiles stopped the exorcism instantly. He’d already destroyed Scott’s relationship with his father, he wasn’t going to be responsible for taking his mother away from him too. 

Since they’d left the house Gusion had explained to him that Stiles had magic, which was HUGE news to Stiles and he wanted to be excited, but, he was still possessed for Christ’s sake so having magic wasn’t that great in his current situation, especially as Gusion had managed to tap into that magic somehow and was using it to increase his own powers, which apparently made him pretty damn strong among demons. That was how Stiles found himself in his current position, standing in a dark room, facing down a demon Gusion called Crowley who was apparently the King of Hell, surrounded by other demons who didn’t seem to know which side they were on.

“I’d heard you’d gotten yourself some power Gusion, but, to do this, to challenge me, ME, in my own throne room!? You’ve got some balls.” Crowley smirked, looking confident in his own abilities.

“I’ve got more balls than you, that’s for sure. Playing lapdog to the Winchesters, killing your own demons, a fondness for humans, you’re a traitor to your own kind Crowley! You don’t deserve to be King.” 

“And you do!?” Crowley mocked while Stiles’ mind raced, the Winchesters, this guy knew the Winchesters, maybe he could get a message to them, get them to help Stiles, he started shouting again, trying to distract Gusion, trying to get him to lose control just for the briefest of moments.

“I’m taking over. End of story. Unless you want to go up against me?” Gusion replied, gritting his teeth as Stiles shouted at him. 

“You think I’m afraid of you?” Crowley mocked. 

“If you’ve got any sense you will b…for God’s sake! Shut up! Shut up!” Gusion shouted and Stiles pumped his fists in victory, “You think you’re so smart Stiles? Shut up and let me talk or I’ll go back to your house and tear your father’s heart out with your hands.” Crowley was looking at him in amusement and raised an eyebrow.

“Having a little trouble with your host Gusion? I would have expected better from a would-be king.” Crowley mocked and Gusion snarled, throwing a hand out and Stiles felt the pull in his stomach that he associated with Gusion drawing magic from him, a moment before Crowley was thrown backwards, smashing through a pillar and landing on a heap on the floor. 

“You listen carefully you little shit, you behave yourself and I don’t slaughter your entire family, that’s how this works Stiles, any more of this crap and I’ll kill them without a second’s hesitation.” Gusion growled, Stiles clenched his fists, gritted his teeth and gave up the fight, he couldn’t risk the ones he loved being hurt because of him. “You might love them but they sure as hell don’t love you Stiles. You’re just too stupid to realise. They aren’t looking for you. They prefer you not being around. They don’t want to look at you, knowing how pathetic you are, they don’t want to have to deal with you. They don’t give a damn about you. Now, shut up and let me kill Crowley in peace, then I’ll be King of Hell, we can sit on a throne and have people tremble at our feet and all I need is for you to shut up for two seconds!” 

Gusion turned to finish Crowley off and found that the demon had already vanished, he rolled his eyes in frustration, stalking towards the empty chair at the end of the room and sinking into it with satisfaction.

“You see, that wasn’t so bad was it. Now, let’s just appreciate this for a second. Gusion, Vengeance Demon, King of Hell. It sounds good, doesn’t it?” Gusion gloated as the other demons around the room moved towards him, “Bow before your king.” Gusion crowed and one by one the demons sunk to their knees looking around nervously. 

“What about Crowley?” One of them had the daring to ask, Gusion snapped his neck using Stiles’ magic without moving from the throne.

“I am your King now. Someone bring me some better clothes, and a crown. I want a crown.” Gusion smirked and Stiles rolled his eyes, not only was he possessed, he was possessed by a gigantic douchebag. 

“I need your help.” Crowley said.

“What the fuck!” Dean shouted, jerking the steering wheel to the side in shock as Crowley appeared in his back seat. “What have I told you about doing that!?” He complained while Sam turned in his seat to look at the demon. 

“What do you want Crowley?” Sam sighed, using one hand to sweep his dark hair away from his face. 

“Some young upstart has stolen my throne.” Crowley complained and Dean rolled his eyes.

“And that’s our problem how?” 

“It’s your problem because if I’m not on the throne demons will come after you, the only reason you’ve had any kind of break was because they were following my orders, without me, it’s open season on the Winchesters.” Crowley said and Sam and Dean looked at each other with exasperation.

“We could delay going to Beacon Hills?” Sam suggested uncomfortably.

“We already delayed it. Jody said the kid sounded pretty desperate. We shouldn’t put it off any longer.” Dean muttered.

“You’ll never even make it if we don’t get him off my throne, sooner rather than later.” Crowley argued. 

“Shut up.” Dean growled, “Sammy, come on, we’re supposed to be helping people, not helping demons and messing with Hell, that’s not what we’re about.” 

“If you want to help someone, you could help the guy this demon is possessing. It sounds like he’s putting up one hell of a fight. You free him, you help a person.” Crowley pointed out. 

“You want us to exorcise a demon for you? Why didn’t you just kill him?” Dean grumbled.

“You wanted me to kill an innocent?” Crowley said in mock shock and Dean shook his head, knowing he was beaten.

“Fine. We’ll go rescue this guy but he best fucking appreciate it.” Dean said, returning his concentration to the road, things had been strained between Sam and Dean since Kevin’s death, since an angel had possessed Sam to keep him alive and had then used his body to kill their friend. Dean blamed himself and Sam had said he blamed him too, that in the same situation, he wouldn’t have saved Dean, he would have let him die rather than be possessed by an angel. 

He thought that maybe time would heal this, but, honestly, he didn’t believe there was enough time left for them to ever fix this. Even if they miraculously lived to be old men, which, in their line of work, was unlikely. 

They pulled up outside Hell’s headquarters, the impala rumbling smoothly to a stop as Dean turned off the engine and headed to the boot, pulling out the necessary equipment to perform an exorcism, barely hesitating to stash a blade up the back of his jacket, in case things went wrong. 

“We’re here to save him.” Sam mumbled and Dean rolled his eyes.

“If he’s aware of the fact he’s possessed I’m willing to bet that if we can’t exorcise the demon, he’ll want to die.” Dean replied.

“You don’t know that.” Sam argued but even to Dean the words felt a little flat, like Sam was just arguing with him for the sake of it. 

“Let’s get this over with.” Dean said, marching towards the entrance with Crowley and Sam at his side. 

Dean wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, when Crowley had said someone had thrown him from his throne, he’d assumed it would still be an adult, the kid in front of him barely looked eighteen, if that, he was lean, with broad shoulders and narrow hips, his dark hair was shaved into a buzzcut and he was pale, spotted with moles, he looked like he should be in class at school, not sat on the throne of Hell wearing a crown and smirking at them.

“The Winchesters! I wondered how long it would be before Crowley came running to you, I did expect it to take a little longer though.” He grinned, flashing black eyes at them. 

“Alright, listen, this is how it’s going to go...” Dean began before he was abruptly cut off when it felt like someone was cutting off his oxygen, he gasped for air for a moment before his knees gave out and he collapsed to the floor.

“Interesting tactic.” The demon smirked, getting off the throne and strolling towards them, sending a flick of his wrist in Sam’s direction and Dean could only watch as Sam too fell to his knees gasping for breath. “I’m wondering how you thought this was going to go.” He taunted, leaning towards Dean and smiling at him, prodding at his bag and smirking when he saw its contents, “You were planning an exorcism, cute, this one tried it too.” The demon tapped at the side of his head, “But, you know what, he was too weak to finish it, just like you are. I could kill you here and now and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.” 

“Maybe they can’t.” Castiel said, appearing out of thin air and taking in the scene in front of him, “But I can.” He waved his hand, fully expecting the demon to disintegrate in front of his eyes, instead the demon stumbled back a few steps before he let out a laugh of disbelief, before waving his own arm and sending Castiel slamming into the wall behind him. 

“You think your powers can match mine, angel?” The demon taunted, “I am more powerful than you can imagine and you think you can take me out? I have unlimited magic at my disposal, I have more power than you have ever felt in your pathetic little lives and you think you can go against me!?” The demon roared in anger. 

“Someone’s got a big head.” Dean gasped out with a huff of pained laughter in an attempt to distract the demon from Sam and Cas.

“Dean Winchester, I heard you had a smart mouth, doesn’t stop you from getting into trouble though, does it?” The demon taunted, tightening the pressure on Dean’s throat and laughing as he turned towards Sam, “And Sam, little brother Sam, always following in Dean’s footsteps, doing whatever he tells you to, and how many people have died because of that? Because Dean doesn’t know what he’s doing and you’re too chicken shit to stand up to him.” He laughed.

“Leave them alone!” Cas shouted, getting back to his feet unsteadily. 

“Oh, and sweet little Castiel,” The demon smirked, knocking him backwards and pinning him to the wall, “Willing to fall from Heaven to protect your little humans. Look where that has got you! You’re weak! You worked with Metatron to cast all the angels out of heaven and now they’re all hunting you, thank god you got your grace back, or, some of it at least! The hunters have become the hunted! Oh, the irony!” He paused, as if listening to something none of them could hear and shook his head in exasperation, “I told you to shut up! I know it’s hard for you to keep your trap shut Stiles, but, for the love of God, please just shut the fuck up!” 

“Exorcizamus te, omnis immunde…” Sam began, choking when the demon turned to him and tutted. Stiles noted that Sam had started to cast the same exorcism that he had planned to use and it gave him hope that it would work, if he had time to finish it, without risking his family’s safety.

“Samuel! I told you! We’re not doing an exorcism, not here, not today. It’s not happening. In fact, the only thing that’s happening today is that you die. All three of you. You see, I know so many demons have tried it before and it’s never ended well for them. That somehow you always survive, whether it’s through angel healing or maybe through your daddy selling his soul to Hell to keep Deano alive, yep, somehow you always make it out alive. But, this time, this time is different, because I’m not like all those demons, I’m not stupid enough to underestimate you three imbeciles.” 

“So you’re going to kill us?” Sam asked, coughing as he caught his breath just the slightest bit. 

“Don’t sound so upset about it. I know I’m going to get a lot of enjoyment from it.” The demon said, wandering back towards his throne and pulling out a knife, Castiel surged forwards, grabbing both Sam and Dean by the scruffs of their shirts and flying them out of there.

Dean felt Castiel’s hand at the back of his neck and the next moment he was looking at the impala, he was grateful, he had to admit it, he’d had no idea what they were going to do, how they were going to get out of that situation, he had been pretty sure he was going to die and wasn’t that brilliant? Dying trying to throw some possessed kid off Crowley’s throne, and the man in question had vanished from sight the moment things had gone to hell, Dean knew he shouldn’t have expected any different. 

“Well, that went brilliantly.” He muttered darkly. 

“How the hell did he do that?” Sam asked Cas who shrugged in uncertainty.

“I don’t know. He felt, powerful. More powerful than any demon I’ve come across before, perhaps, I might even suggest he was as powerful as an archangel.” Cas explained. 

“Hang on, you’re telling me, that demon in there is as powerful as Lucifer and Crowley wants us to throw him off the throne? That’s not happening.” Dean shook his head.

“I’m not one hundred percent sure it was the demon that was that powerful.” Cas said.

“Yeah, and, I’ve never seen a demon talk to their host before, not like that, he was arguing with him, do we think the host is the one with the power?” Sam muttered in surprise. 

“What? Like a witch or something?” Dean said, scrunching up his face in confusion.

“Maybe.” Sam replied, “So, what do we do? Try again? Or leave Crowley to it?” 

“Having that demon on the throne is not good.” Castiel commented, “But, until we come up with a new plan of attack, going after him again would only result in the same situation, except, we may not escape next time.” 

“So, until we come up with a new plan, let’s help those that we can.” Dean grumbled, sliding into the impala and starting up the engine, “So, we go to Beacon Hills instead.” 

Noah had spent the first two days of Stiles’ disappearance barely sober enough to function, he couldn’t get over the fact that he had failed his son so horrendously, he hadn’t noticed that Stiles was being abused, had been abused for years, that he’d spent the past week terrified that he was about to be raped again in his own home and Noah hadn’t noticed. 

He knew he wasn’t the only one blaming himself, Melissa had spent most of the past two days drunk herself, sitting in the living room, evidently in shock, curled up on one of the chairs and downing as much whiskey as she could get her hands on, muttering to herself over and over about how she’d been so blind, how could she have been so blind? She should have noticed, why didn’t she notice? How could she not have noticed? Oh, god, Stiles, poor Stiles, it was her fault, it was all her fault. 

Scott had barely spoken, flinching away from any contact the pack tried to offer him, barely holding on to the control of his wolf every time he thought about how his best friend had suffered at the hands of his father, he blamed himself too, he should have noticed, Stiles should have been able to come to him, talk to him, tell him what was going on, and instead, Scott had never once even noticed the panic attacks, the fear, the initials that had been carved into his friends skin, but then, he hadn’t noticed that Stiles had been tortured by Gerard either, what kind of friend was he? Stiles was, god, Stiles deserved so much better, Scott should have done better, he let him down, he failed him. 

Derek hadn’t said a word, he’d been trying to process everything, he’d been trying to figure out how he hadn’t noticed what Stiles had been going through in the last week alone, how Stiles had been able to hide the terror he must have been feeling? But the thing that stood out to him most of all, was not the fact that Stiles had been tortured by Gerard and Derek hadn’t known, not the fact that Stiles had saved his betas and never told them, never expected any thanks, not the fact that Stiles had rescued Isaac from his abusive father, or the fact that he’d also protected Erica and Boyd from people who had bullied them, or the multiple other times Stiles had saved their asses and never wanted praise for it, no, the thing that really stood out for Derek, the thing that made him regret everything he’d ever done, was that Stiles thought Derek didn’t want him in the pack. It was that Stiles didn’t realise he was the only pack Derek could ever want. 

The others had given up trying to get any sense out of the four of them, knowing that the reveal of Stiles’ secrets had shocked them all to the core, and, that, as those closest to Stiles, they’d taken the hardest hit. Jackson and Boyd had been tasked with taking care of Rafael, making sure he was fed and kept in reasonable comfort, not that he deserved it, but, they’d decided to keep him alive until Stiles’ return, which meant Rafael needed to be alive. 

Lydia had cornered Jackson on the second day, leading him up to Stiles’ bedroom and raising an eyebrow in question.

“You kissed Stiles when you were younger?” She asked and Jackson blushed.

“Look, it was, I wasn’t sure, I didn’t, and…I’m sorry.” He mumbled pathetically. 

“So, you’re bi?” She asked and Jackson shrugged.

“I’m not sure. I mean, I liked Stiles, when we were younger, he was, he was funny, and kind, and, I wanted to, but, then Stiles said he didn’t like me like that, and, I was embarrassed. So, I stopped talking to him. And then I heard that he had a crush on you, and, I guess, I just, I wanted him to be embarrassed too.” Jackson explained pathetically. 

“Jacks, you have to know I don’t care if you like boys and girls, just so long as you’re honest with me. I love you. You love me. We have to be honest about these things. Especially about the big things like this.” 

“I know.” Jackson admitted and then paused, “I, I liked Stiles, and, knowing that that bastard hurt him, it makes me sick. I know I haven’t behaved well with Stiles, I know I could have treated him so much better, but, I was embarrassed and a little jealous, you know, Stiles just always seemed so confident, seemed so happy with his life, like nothing phased him, and, I didn’t feel that. But, now, I know that it was all an act, that he was hiding so much from everyone, and, I wish, I wished I’d been a better friend to him, swallowed my pride and been around to help him when he needed it.” 

“Oh Jacks.” Lydia sighed sympathetically, pulling him into a gentle hug, “This wasn’t your fault. It was nobody’s fault except that sick fuck. Stiles, he’s a good man, he won’t blame you for this.”

“We already know he won’t.” Jackson muttered, “That was the whole issue with Gusion, Stiles blames himself, he doesn’t blame his dad, or Scott, or Melissa, he doesn’t even blame Rafael, did you hear him? He blames himself. He thinks he deserved it. Do you have any idea how messed up that is?”

“Yeah, yeah I do, but, we’ll get him help, when he gets home, when we get him back, we’ll get him all the help he needs to get past this. Until then, we all need to pull together, we all need to work our asses off and find a way to get him home.” Lydia said determinedly. 

“Okay.” Jackson nodded.

“Good, now, you’re going to help me get everyone else on board with the plan too.” She said, dragging him back down the stairs and studying the destroyed pack in front of her. 

Peter was stood by the window, looking at Derek with worry, his shoulders hunched up like it physically hurt him to look at Derek. Derek was sat on the floor nearby, staring off into space like his whole world had crumbled, his fists clenched tightly by his sides, Erica and Isaac were nearby, looking equally as worried as Peter, if not more so, except their worry extended to the others in the room, Melissa was curled up in a chair crying, Noah was nursing a glass of whiskey, Scott was pacing around the living room like a caged animal, Allison doing her best to comfort him, Boyd was stood by the doorway to the basement, listening to Rafael’s heartbeat to make sure he was still alive. Stiles’ secrets had hit them all hard, but, for Lydia, enough was enough, now they had to face a few more home truths.

“This isn’t helping Stiles.” She announced to the room at large, waiting patiently until everyone had turned to look at her, “Stiles is possessed by a demon right now, he’s probably being forced to do things that he’d never do otherwise. He’s already suffered through that enough in his life. So, pull yourselves together. We need to find out a way to get him home. Drowning your sorrows is not going to help him. Blaming yourself is not going to help him. Get off your asses and help me find a way to get him home. Or, you can sit there feeling sorry for yourselves while Stiles goes through hell, again!” Lydia ordered, there was no movement from anyone in the room, “Haven’t you already let him down enough?” She said, knowing it was a low blow, but she had to do something drastic to get some reaction from them, “Are you really going to let him down again? Are you really going to let that demon run around wearing his body while you sit here and do nothing to help him!?” 

“No.” Scott said confidently, “No, we’re not. We’re going to help him.”

“Good. Then let’s start with Stiles’ paperwork. There might be something here that can help us.” Lydia insisted, grabbing the hundreds of pages that Stiles had compiled and handing them out to the pack, “If anyone finds anything that might be of use then shout up. There will be a way to free Stiles in here, I know there will be.” She gritted her teeth and began reading, swallowing her own guilt and focusing on what was most important, getting Stiles back. 

By the fifth day since Stiles had been taken they’d read everything Stiles had compiled in the week that he’d been researching. It was hard, by now everyone in town knew that the Sheriff’s son had been kidnapped by Rafael, the only story they could come up with that was half-way plausible and explained Rafael’s absence too, and people had been calling around every few minutes offering their condolences, it was driving them all up the wall. Noah had insisted that they had to try and keep everything as normal as possible, which was why the majority of the pack spent their days in school, trying to hold it together, despite the fact that everyone could see Stiles’ absence had had a huge impact on them. 

“I don’t get what they are all so upset about, did you see McCall the day before Stiles disappeared, he wasn’t even talking to him, it wouldn’t surprise me if he had something to do with it, his dad was the one who kidnapped him supposedly. I bet you McCall asked his dad to do it, get rid of the body somewhere...” One person explained in the cafeteria.

“No way dude, McCall and Stilinski were like two peas in a pod, there’s no way he’d get his dad to off him.” Another argued.

“Do you think they’re all just after the sympathy vote? Like, ‘oh, we knew him, so we need extra time on our exams’ kind of thing?” Another piped up. 

“Why are we so sure he’s dead? I mean, he’s only been gone a few days? He could still be alive.” One girl suggested.

“As if. He couldn’t keep his trap shut if his life depended on it, chances are McCall’s dad got fed up and killed him before they even made it out of town.” The first kid said, surprised when Jackson’s hand wrapped around his throat and pulled him from his seat. 

“Stop talking about him like he’s dead. He’s not dead.” Jackson growled. 

“Dude, I’m just saying what everyone else is thinking, besides, you didn’t even like the guy.” 

“Shut up!” Erica snapped from next to him, “Stiles isn’t dead. He’s coming home. We’re getting him back.”

“Alright, whatever, you keep thinking that.” 

“It’s the truth.” Erica said resolutely. 

“Maybe it is. But, then, maybe Scott will kidnap him instead. Like father like son, right? And, if the guy hasn’t killed him already then what’s he keeping him for? Like, what use is he anyway? I mean, he’s either killed him or he’s fucking him, right? I mean, everyone heard Derek Hale yelling at Stiles for fucking McCall’s dad, maybe you’re right, maybe he’s not dead, maybe they’ve just run away together to start a fucked up little family.” 

“Shut your fucking mouth.” Scott said appearing from nowhere. “You don’t know what the fuck you are on about.” He said before turning on his heel and storming off, Erica and Jackson following after him.

“I think I hit a nerve.” The kid laughed and the others around him burst into laughter too, Scott heard but he couldn’t go back to them, as it was he was barely holding it together, the amount of people that were looking at him suspiciously, as though he’d had a hand in Stiles’ disappearance, or worse, talking about his dad and Stiles, together, he shuddered, Stiles, god, he’d let him down so badly, he had to get him back, he had to make it up to him. 

“It’s okay Scott, he’ll be okay.” Allison whispered from next to him, always able to tell when Scott’s own guilt threatened to overwhelm him and force him to focus on the fact that getting Stiles back was their priority. 

Derek had gone back to the loft for the first time since the night of Stiles’ possession, he was exhausted, barely sleeping and he wasn’t completely sure how he’d been functioning, but, he was determined to find something to help Stiles. He’d finally found it about an hour ago, a name scrawled at the bottom of one of the pages, a barely legible phone number next to it.

“There’s a name here, Jody Mills? Does that mean anything to anyone?” Derek asked the room at large, not sure how much longer he could bear not having Stiles here, knowing that anything could be happening to him. 

“No. Nothing.” Melissa and Peter both replied but Noah paused.

“I think Stiles mentioned a Jody, he said she’d talked him through the process of becoming a born-again virgin, so he could use his blood.” Noah said, evidently trying to remember what else Stiles had said before his face lit up with hope, “He said she knew some other people, others like the Argents, someone who had dealt with demons before, that they could come here after their latest hunt, but that it could be a few weeks.” 

“We should call her, see if she could put us in touch with them, get them to come here sooner, see if they could help? We could still use the summoning spell Stiles was putting together? They might know a way that we could stop him from killing us all before we exorcise Gusion?” Melissa suggested, sounding equally as hopeful. 

“Okay, call her, call her.” Peter said impatiently, shoving the phone towards Noah and watching with a severe intensity as he waited for Jody to answer the phone. Derek was surprised by how much Peter seemed to have come to care for Stiles, he could understand it completely, Stiles was amazing, but, it still surprised him. 

“Hello, I’m hoping to speak to Jody Mills?” Noah said uncertainly when the call connected.

“Sheriff Mills speaking, how can I help?” A female voice replied and Noah relaxed instantly.

“Sheriff Mills, my name is Noah Stilinski, I’m the Sheriff here in Beacon Hills. You spoke to my son last week…”

“Stiles, yeah I did. He okay?” Jody asked.

“Actually, no.” Noah said, looking to be on the verge of tears, “I don’t know how much he told you about what was going on here?”

“He told me you had a vengeance demon running loose. That he had a plan to summon and trap it, but, that he needed to know where to find two pints of virgin’s blood.” Jody surmised without hesitation, “I told him about two of my friends, hunters, they’ve dealt with demons before, I’ve already passed your case across to them, they’re on their way, they just had to make a pit stop but they should be with you tomorrow afternoon at the latest. What about Stiles? Is he okay? What happened? I can come to you, but, it’ll still be tomorrow?” 

“Stiles…god…he, there was…” Noah began, tears almost overwhelming him as he tried to explain, he scrubbed a hand over his face and took a steadying breath before trying again, “Someone we trusted got possessed, he went after Stiles, and then, then we found out that he wanted Stiles because he thought Stiles would have a desire for vengeance in him.” 

“You mean, Stiles is possessed by this demon?” Jody asked quickly. 

“Yeah, yes.” Noah mumbled unhappily.

“Okay, do you have him contained? I’ll try and get an earlier flight, I’ll call Sam and Dean, tell them to hurry their asses up, we’ll be there by first light.” Jody said, moving around as if she was already getting her stuff together. 

“No, no, the demon, he escaped. We don’t know where he is or what he’s doing to Stiles.” Noah admitted. 

“That’s, fuck, okay, I’ll still tell them to hurry up. Until then, sit tight, rest up, god knows we don’t know how much we’ll get when things start happening, we’re on our way, I’ll be with you as soon as I can. Is this the best number to get you on? I’ll pass it to Dean and he can give you a call, let you know where they are up to?” 

“Yeah, yeah they can call this number. I’ll be here. And, Sheriff Mills, thank you for this, I really appreciate it.” Noah said gratefully.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you in the morning.” She said before the call disconnected. There was a few minutes silence, all of them processing the news that help was coming, before Peter cleared his throat and looked at Derek.

“You heard the woman, we should rest until they get here. Go home Derek, get a shower, have a sleep, come back later…” Peter began and Derek opened his mouth to interrupt when Noah spoke over him.

“He’s right Derek, we’re all exhausted and running on empty. The pack take their lead from you, make sure they look after themselves by looking after yourself.” Noah insisted and Derek nodded in defeat.

“I’ll be back here by the time they get out of school.” He muttered before turning on his heel and leaving the house. 

He entered his own loft feeling the exhaustion wash over him, he ran a hand over his face, the stress of the past few days had taken a toll on him, he felt like he’d aged ten years in a matter of days, Peter was right, he did need a shower. He peeled off his clothes as he walked, standing under the spray of the shower with his eyes closed and trying not to picture Stiles’ face as his secrets came tumbling out, the terror he’d felt when he’d been pinned to the counter by Gusion, the desperation in his features as he tried to convince Scott it wasn’t true, the way Gusion had contorted his features into something that barely resembled Stiles, the way he’d laughed and smirked and gloated about how much they’d failed Stiles. 

“Damn it!” He cursed, only just becoming aware of the fact that he’d punched the wall of the shower, “God damn it.” He muttered, picking the shards of tiles out of his knuckles and grimacing as he looked at the broken wall, he’d have to fix that at some point, but not right now, he was exhausted. He pulled on a pair of sweats and walked over to his bed, collapsing face first onto it and going to sleep almost instantly.

Stiles was exhausted, he was putting everything he had into fighting Gusion, into not just caving in and allowing him to control him as he so easily could. He wanted to rest, he wanted to close his eyes and forget about everything he had witnessed Gusion do in his body, he knew logically that Gusion had, thankfully, only killed other demons so far, but Stiles couldn’t help but think if they had innocent people trapped in their bodies too, then he’d killed them. He’d hoped the Winchesters would have been able to help him, instead they’d disappeared with the angel they travelled with. 

He had to admit he was amazed by what he had learned from Gusion, because the demon was showing Stiles his memories too, whether by accident or on purpose Stiles wasn’t sure, he was almost certain it was on purpose, considering the amount of memories that were filled with so much blood that Stiles could barely see anything other than the bright, startling, red and Gusion laughed at how uncomfortable Stiles was. Stiles had learned a lot about the Winchesters, or, more accurately, he’d learned what Gusion knew about them, which could be a lot, or it could be nothing at all. But, what seemed certain was that they never gave up, they never ran from a fight, so, why had they abandoned Stiles to this fate? 

He wanted to scream at them, but, it wasn’t their fault really, Gusion had been preparing to kill them, they had no choice but to run, really, it was Stiles’ fault, it was his magic that Gusion had been drawing on to stop Castiel from killing him, it was Stiles’ magic that had dropped them to their knees and left them helpless to their fates. He couldn’t blame them for getting out of here. Still, he wasn’t going to quit yet, he was going to find a way out of this, he had to keep fighting in order to get back to his dad, to Scott, to the pack, to Derek. Derek would help him, Stiles was sure he would. He just needed to give them time to come up with a new plan. 

“You’re not going to escape Stiles.” Gusion sighed in exasperation, looking around the empty throne room in amusement, “And, even if you did, do you think they’d want you back? Knowing how broken you are?” 

Stiles didn’t know if they would want him back, he didn’t know if Scott would ever talk to him again, or if his dad would ever forgive him for lying to him about not knowing what Scott and Rafael had been arguing about, or if Melissa would forgive him for being the reason her husband left town, god, there were so many reasons why they’d never want to see him again, but, he had to try. He’d proven himself useful after all, at least a few times, surely Derek would keep him around just to research even if he wasn’t part of the pack? 

“He doesn’t want anything to do with you Stiles, he wouldn’t want you anywhere near his pack even if you pleaded with him. Please stop pinning your hopes on him, it’s pathetic.” Gusion commented, rolling his eyes as another demon appeared, holding out a silver platter with several appetisers on, Gusion stood up from the throne, strolled towards the demon and picked up a few bits of food before nodding at the demon who sighed gratefully and vanished from the spot. 

Gusion loved the fear that his presence instilled in other demons, he’d always dreamed that he would be King of Hell, that everyone would know his name and rightfully fear him, he knew he couldn’t have done it without the complete accident of possessing Stiles’ body. As soon as he’d possessed Rafael he could only imagine the desire for vengeance that would be clawing Stiles apart, he’d planned on possessing him and getting vengeance on everyone who had let him down, everyone who had failed him, instead, he’d found Stiles’ genuinely blamed nobody but himself, and, even worse, he only carried out vengeance on behalf of the people he cared about, that he only hurt people who had hurt them, the selflessness of it made Gusion want to puke. Instead of leaving Stiles’ body though, instead of smoking out and finding someone else to possess and getting his vengeance that way, because, by Lucifer, he could practically smell the desire to tear Rafael apart piece by piece radiating from every other person in that room, he didn’t. 

He didn’t leave Stiles’ body for one reason and one reason only, the sheer power he could feel coursing through his veins and it was coming from Stiles. He knew if he could harness the power he felt he would be unstoppable, and, because Stiles had had no idea he had magic never mind how to use it, it made it very easy for Gusion to do just that. Now, if he could just figure out how to destroy Stiles’ spirit, to shut him up and get him to give up every ounce of control that he battled so desperately for. An idea crossed his mind, something that he knew would repulse Stiles and destroy any hope he had that Derek or any of the pack would ever forgive him. 

“Okay Stiles, what happens next, it’s your fault.” He grinned before disappearing from the throne room and reappearing in Derek’s loft. Derek was asleep on his bed, he looked exhausted, there were dark bags under his eyes and he had slept through Stiles’ sudden appearance in his bedroom, Gusion could feel Stiles’ horror, his anger, his desperation to break free and stop this, because Derek was defenceless right now, he wasn’t even conscious and Stiles wanted to protect him. Gusion let out a little huff of laughter at Stiles’ expense. He crouched down next to Derek, placing his fingers softly on Derek’s bare shoulder and watching with amusement as Derek rolled over onto his back easily, mumbling almost incoherently to go away. 

Gusion straddled Derek’s hips, resting his weight on him, surprised when the werewolf still didn’t wake up, he must have been exhausted, Gusion wondered vaguely if he’d slept at all since Gusion had taken Stiles away from them, he doubted it. He shrugged in bemusement, ignoring the way Stiles was screaming at him to stop, knowing that Stiles would find this the most despicable act he could commit, worse than killing someone, Gusion smiled, leaning down and pressing his lips gently against Derek’s. 

Stiles had never felt more helpless, more hopeless, he had to stop this, how could he stop this? Derek groaned slightly in his sleep, his lips moving the slightest bit against Stiles’ and how messed up was that? That Stiles could feel Derek’s lips against his and Derek wasn’t even conscious. 

Gusion trailed his hands along Derek’s bare chest, moving his hands lower, and shifting himself backwards so that he was in between Derek’s legs rather than sat on his hips. It was easy enough to pull Derek’s joggers down, glad to see that the man hadn’t put any boxers back on after his shower. His cock was half hard already and Gusion grinned as Stiles had fallen silent for the briefest second before he started screaming for him to stop again. 

“Come on Stiles.” He whispered quietly, wondering how far he could go before Derek woke up, “I know you want this, I know you want him, but he doesn’t want you, doesn’t want anything to do with you, and, when he wakes up, when he sees what you’ve done, he won’t even be able to look you in the eye.” 

“St’s?” Derek mumbled sleepily, the confusion evident in his tone and Stiles prayed he woke up, prayed he woke up and stopped Gusion when Stiles was powerless to do anything. 

“Yeah, Der, it’s me, it’s okay, go back to sleep.” Gusion whispered soothingly in Stiles’ voice and Derek shifted slightly in his sleep his hand moving down towards his cock and Gusion grinned, stopping his hand in its movement, “No, don’t worry about that, I’ll take care of it for you, I’ll look after you Derek.” He said, lowering his mouth to Derek’s cock and taking it into his mouth almost delicately. 

Derek was having the weirdest dream, he’d been running through the preserve, chasing after something or someone, he wasn’t sure, but whatever he was chasing was always just out of reach, moving away from him, disappearing behind the trees, then it changed, he was sitting on his sofa in the loft, there were soft lips pressed against his, moving so gently and sweetly that Derek could almost feel himself getting hard, it felt so real, it had to be real. He heard Stiles’ voice nearby and moved towards it, mumbling his name, hearing Stiles reassure him that it was okay, that he was there. 

He grew even more aroused at the thought of Stiles sitting on his lap, kissing him sweetly, of them grinding against each other on the sofa, of Stiles teasing him, Stiles’ fingers running along his body, as he slid off Derek’s lap and onto the floor, looking up at him with wide eyes and a slight smirk as he saw Derek’s hard cock, his mouth sucking softly on his cock, god, it felt so good, Derek could feel the fabric of the sofa under his fingertips, gripping it tightly as he fought the urge to thrust up into the hot heat of Stiles’ mouth, he groaned at the feeling, it felt so good, he wanted more, he wanted, god, he wanted. 

“That’s it Der, you’re so close for me, aren’t you?” Stiles’ voice whispered quietly and Derek groaned again, god, he was close, he needed, he wasn’t sure what he needed, he just, god, he gripped the sofa tighter, every muscle in his body drawn taut as he knew he was about to reach his climax, he wanted it to last longer, but, god, it felt so good, Stiles’ mouth on his cock, his voice in his ear, he just needed to, he couldn’t last, he was going to…

Derek woke with a start, disorientated as to why he was in his bed and not on the sofa downstairs, he realised instantly that it must have been a dream, confusion sweeping through him when he saw his trousers were pulled down.

“What the hell?” He muttered in bewilderment, freezing when he registered another heartbeat in the room, looking up and seeing Stiles standing at the end of the bed, he was dressed in all black, a tight black t-shirt and jeans that emphasised his broad shoulders and narrow hips, he looked pale, paler than usual, and there were dark bags under his eyes, his eyes flickered to black for just a moment and he smirked at Derek. 

“Thanks for the fun.” He said before he disappeared into thin air and Derek thought he was going to be sick, scrambling to pull his joggers back up, any relaxation his release had given him was long gone, god, Stiles, shit, that fucking demon had forced Stiles to do that, and, Derek, fuck, he’d been so out of it he hadn’t even woken up and Stiles, god, guilt flooded through him, how could he have done that? He would have never done that if he’d been awake! Stiles had spent years being abused and Derek had just allowed that demon to do the exact same thing to him, he thought he was going to be sick, flinging himself out of the bed and dashing to the bathroom in time to throw up, collapsing to his knees next to the toilet and tears trickling silently down his cheeks, god, poor Stiles, he should have fucking woken up! He should have done something, he should have been able to help him instead of using him just like Rafael had done, it was all his fault. 

Gusion transported them back to the throne room with a wicked smirk on his lips, he’d stayed around long enough for Derek to realise what had happened, to see the stricken look on his face, to make sure that image burned itself into Stiles’ memory, he wanted Stiles to give up any hope that Derek would take him back, if Stiles didn’t realise that the werewolf was in love with him and would do anything for him then Gusion wasn’t going to be the one to enlighten him. 

“You see, I told you Derek would never be able to look at you again. Did you see his face? He was disgusted. By you. He won’t want you back. None of them will.” Gusion taunted and smirked widely when Stiles’ voice in his head quieted for the first time in days.


	5. Chapter 5

Derek didn’t go back to the Stilinski household that night, he couldn’t bear it, he knew the rest of the pack would be able to smell the guilt rolling off him, but, god, he’d let Stiles down so badly, he’d never want to speak to Derek again, knowing that Derek had gotten off on his mouth while he was being possessed, it was disgusting, vile, he wouldn’t blame Stiles for never speaking to him again. 

Instead, he stewed in his loft, changing the sheets on his bed, pacing in agitation as he went over and over the last few hours in his mind, if he could have done anything differently, he knew he couldn’t have, but, still, he should have done. He should have protected Stiles. 

Eventually, when he deemed it an acceptable time in the morning, he drove across to the Stilinski household, fully intending to tell Noah, and the rest of the pack, what had happened. He wouldn’t keep this from them. He couldn’t. The guilt was already overwhelming him. They’d all be sickened by him, but, at least they’d know that Stiles was still alive.

Noah opened the door to him as soon as he arrived, Derek resolutely refusing to look at the jeep parked on the drive that hadn’t moved since Stiles had left, the man had obviously slept and showered, looking fresher than he had previously, even if he still looked tired and like his world had crumbled, Derek didn’t want to put any more weight on his shoulders, but, he couldn’t not tell him.

“Derek? You okay? You look like you’ve barely slept?” Noah asked as he waved him through into the kitchen, several of the pack members were already up and sitting at the kitchen table, looking much better than they had the previous morning, obviously they had done as Noah advised and slept last night. Erica looked at Derek and moved instantly to his side.

“What is it? What happened?” She asked nervously, the others all hovering nearby and waiting for Derek to explain. 

“Something happened last night.” He mumbled, his stomach doing somersaults at the thought of confessing to Noah that he had practically raped Stiles. “I saw Stiles.” He said and Noah looked at him with concern.

“You don’t sound happy about that? I’m guessing that means it was still Gusion? Not Stiles?” Noah asked and Derek nodded defeatedly.

“What happened? Why do you smell so guilty?” Peter asked and Derek grimaced. 

“I was asleep, I, um,” He tried, blushing slightly at the memory, “I, well, I was dreaming, and, god,” Derek ran a hand across his face in embarrassment and guilt, “It was, it had a happy ending?” He said and thankfully the people in the room nodded, understanding what he was trying to say, Erica looked like she wanted to make a sarcastic comment but chose not to because she could sense the distress coming from her Alpha. 

“Okay, well, we’ve all had dreams like that at one point or another…” Noah said in bemusement, evidently not understanding why Derek was so upset. 

“Yeah, but, I woke up, afterwards, I woke up, and Stiles was there. Well, Gusion was there, he’d, fuck, my trousers were pulled down, and, god, he’d, Stiles was trapped in there and he, and I didn’t wake up.” Derek said, breaking down into sobs that had the pack moving to him instinctively, reaching out to comfort him in whatever way they could while Noah just stared at him like he’d grown a second head. 

“Are you okay?” Noah asked minutes later, when the pack had resorted to hugging him and the words of comfort had silenced. 

“Me?” Derek asked in confusion, “I’m fine. Don’t you get it. I, I let him…”

“You didn’t let him do anything Derek.” Noah said firmly, “You were asleep. You looked dead on your feet when you left here, I’m surprised you even made it home. You were asleep. You can’t help what you dream about when you’re asleep.” 

“But, Stiles…” 

“Stiles wasn’t there.” Noah said angrily, “Gusion was. What happened, that was Gusion, not Stiles. You’re right that Stiles is trapped, helpless, but, that doesn’t make it your fault in any way, just like it’s not his. It was the demon.” 

“I should have…”

“Stop it! Stop blaming yourself for something you couldn’t help!” Noah shouted and Derek paused, looking at the man with surprise, “Derek, this was not your fault. Stiles won’t blame you. Just like you wouldn’t blame him. Do you blame him?” 

“What!? No! Of course not!” Derek said shocked. 

“But it was his body.” Noah said.

“Yeah, but, it wasn’t his mind, it wasn’t him.” Derek insisted and Noah smiled at him fondly, reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder, that one movement offering Derek more reassurance that the rest of the pack had been able to. 

“Exactly, Derek, you were asleep, you were dreaming, you couldn’t have done anything about it. It’s not your fault. It’s not Stiles’ fault. It was a demon. A demon that enjoys causing Stiles pain, he said it himself, he feeds off the guilt Stiles feels, seeing us hurting hurts Stiles. You cannot blame yourself for this.” Noah explained and Derek nodded, what Noah said made sense and he tried not to blame himself, it worked, at least partially, but, he didn’t think he’d be able to forgive himself properly until they’d gotten Stiles back and he could apologise repeatedly. 

There was a knock on the door about an hour later by which time the entire pack had gathered at the Stilinski house, they hadn’t heard from the Winchesters, but Jody had called back later on to tell them that they were on the way and they’d all arrive about the same time. 

Derek had listened to the rumble of a classic car as it pulled up outside the house, had heard three doors open and close and then a man spoke.

“It still feels a bit weird, going in knowing they already know about demons and crap.” He muttered.

“Yeah, well, at least we don’t have to be subtle with the questions Dean.” Another man replied. 

“You’re never subtle anyway.” Dean replied, there was silence for a minute and then Dean spoke again, “Cas text, he says he might have found a way to help with our other problem.” 

“Alright, we’ll call him later.” Derek assumed that was Sam talking. 

“What other problem?” A female voice asked, Derek recognised her as Jody. 

“Nothing serious.” Sam said and Derek could hear the lie in his heartbeat from here.

“You know you never could lie very well.” Jody scolded and Dean huffed out a laugh.

“Told you so.” Dean joked as they made their way towards the front door. Noah waited for them to knock before he opened the door, at least trying to give them the impression that they’d had some privacy. 

Derek stood just behind him, standing between the hunters and his pack protectively. Jody was at the front, she wasn’t wearing her sheriff’s uniform, instead dressed in jeans and a couple of layers, her hand outstretched to meet Noah’s and a small smile on her face.

“Sheriff Stilinski I presume? I’m Jody, we spoke on the phone, this is Sam and Dean Winchester.” She pointed to the men behind her, Sam was broad and tall, almost freakishly so, with long dark hair that nearly reached his shoulders and brown eyes that looked sympathetic to their situation, Dean was shorter than his brother but still tall, maybe the same height as Derek, he had short dark blonde hair, cut into a military style, a bit of stubble and dark circles under his bright green eyes as if he hadn’t slept in a few days. He was looking at Derek assessingly, trying to figure out how much of a threat Derek was or if he was supposed to be there before he eventually dismissed him and moved on to the next person in his eyesight.

“Hi, yes, thanks for coming, come in.” Noah said, waving them through the door, “Can I get you a drink? You look like you’ve been driving for a while?” 

“Coffee would be great.” Dean said, relaxing slightly and letting out a smile, he didn’t look nearly as intimidating then. Noah poured them a mug of coffee each, introducing the different people in the room and waited until they were sat at the kitchen table to look to Derek for advice on how to proceed.

“So, we’ve been kind of busy, Jody’s given us the basics, but, do you want to catch us up on what happened?” Sam asked kindly and Noah nodded.

“Yes, well, it started with the murders in town, we couldn’t find a logical explanation, and, my son, he researched and he suggested it could be a demon, he spoke to the girl, the first murderer and she admitted to summoning a demon. She told him the spell she used, and we made a plan to summon him and them exorcise him, but, things went wrong.” Noah began.

“Wrong how? I mean, before your kid got possessed?” Dean asked and Sam shot him a look, “Sorry, that sounded bad, I usually need more coffee before I’m functional. I meant, what happened?”

“We didn’t know, but, Stiles had…” Peter started

“Stiles?” Sam asked suddenly.

“Yeah, my son, Stiles.” Noah nodded, not missing the look between Sam and Dean, “What? Do you know something?”

“Have you got a picture of him?” Dean asked and Isaac moved forwards, showing Dean a photo of them all on his phone.

“That’s Stiles.” Isaac said, pointing to Stiles who was at the side of the group, but Dean already knew that, his eyes had gone straight to him, he looked up at Sam and gave him a brief nod. 

“What is it? What do you know?” Noah asked desperately. 

“We had a run in with him already.” Sam admitted.

“Was he okay? Did you manage to help him?” Scott asked and Sam shook his head. 

“He was sitting pretty on the throne of Hell.” Dean muttered before he sighed heavily, “We should probably call Cas and Crowley, maybe they can help with whatever Cas found?” 

“Crowley?” Lydia said, “That was, Gusion said that Crowley wouldn’t know what hit him. What happened?” 

“From what Crowley said, Gusion came into his throne room and put him on his ass, he made a run for it, came to us, asked us to exorcise Gusion because the host was fighting him every step of the way, we went, fought, got our asses handed to us and got the hell out of there before he did kill us rather than just tell us he was going to do it, we thought it would be better to regroup, get a better plan together before we tried again.” Dean said, taking another swig of his coffee. 

“Wait, so, hang on, Crowley is the King of Hell and Gusion threw him off the throne, meaning that, that thing, is wearing my son’s face, and is the King of Hell?” Noah asked looking pale and Dean nodded briskly. 

“Pretty much.” He nodded. 

“We do know that something is different about this possession though.” Sam said, looking apologetic for Dean’s rudeness, “We’ve never witnessed a demon arguing with its host before,” Sam paused, looking at the others expectantly, “And, he was powerful, a lot more powerful than any normal demon, Cas said he could be as powerful as an archangel, when he tried to vaporise him it didn’t even affect him.” 

“Who is Cas and why was he trying to vaporise Stiles?” Jackson asked. 

“Right, sorry, Cas is our friend, and, like we said, he was trying to kill us, it was him or us, and, we chose us, except, like I also said, it didn’t work. We thought that perhaps it was Gusion, that he was strong, except, well, has Stiles got any magic?” Sam tried and Noah laughed in surprise.

“Stiles? Magic? No. Not a chance.” Noah said simply.

“Right, okay.” Sam said sounding disappointed. “Anyway, so, you were telling us that you’d planned on summoning Gusion here and then doing the exorcism but something went wrong?” He prompted.

“Yeah, yes, well, there was somebody we knew, somebody we trusted…” Noah began.

“My dad.” Scott muttered darkly, “He’s an FBI agent, he left town when I’d just turned twelve after I fell down the stairs, we didn’t know, there was so much I didn’t know.” He looked on the verge of tears and Sam looked to Dean with worry, he wasn’t sure what they’d walked into here but it didn’t sound good. 

“Hey, look, I’m sure, whatever it was, I’m sure he didn’t mean it.” Dean said, looking to Jody for guidance who could only shrug in confusion. 

“He raped Stiles.” Erica said through gritted teeth, Dean, Sam and Jody freezing in shock as the majority of the people in the room suddenly flashed glowing eyes, Dean’s hand going subtly for his gun under the table, looking to Sam and Jody and trying to figure out how he was going to get them out of this one. 

“I’m guessing Stiles didn’t tell you about the pack of werewolves he runs around with when he called you?” Noah asked, noticing their sudden tension, Jody shaking her head tightly. 

“We have control.” Isaac insisted. 

“They do.” Allison interrupted and Chris nodded from next to her. 

“Right, Argent, werewolf hunters and apparently friends with them too.” Dean scoffed.

“They do, I swear to you. They have more control than some of the people in my family, people who call themselves humans and yet they’ve still hurt more people than any of the pack ever have.” Allison said passionately, “If they were hurting people, killing people, then believe me, I’d be the first to put a bullet in them, but, they’re not. They’re good people.” She insisted.

“Alright, let’s say we believe you…” Sam began, shooting Dean a look when he opened his mouth to speak, “How does it work? Every werewolf we’ve ever met has never had enough control not to kill on the full moon? They might be able to control themselves the rest of the month but on the full moon it’s chained up or murder spree?” 

“We don’t just shift on the full moon.” Derek said, taking the lead and shifting to allow his fangs and claws to grow and his eyes to glow bright red, he stayed like that for a minute before he shifted back to human, “We have anchors to our humanity. When I went through my first full moon my mom had to cage me in the basement until I found my anchor, once I found that, I could control the shift, whenever my wolf feels overpowering I think of my anchor and it ties me to my humanity.” 

“Your mom? Was she a werewolf too?” Jody asked.

“Our whole family was.” Peter said, “They were killed seven years ago by Allison’s aunt. She didn’t think that we deserved to live just because of what we were. Derek, Laura and I survived, but, Laura died and then I died and Derek became Alpha. I came back, and Derek formed the rest of the pack.” Peter gestured to the others in the room.

“So you chose to bite teenagers?” Dean said in disgust.

“No, he offered us the bite and we said yes.” Erica said heatedly, “I was going to die without it. I’m better now, stronger, faster, healthier.” 

“Okay, fine, let’s gloss over the fact that you’re all teenage werewolves…hang on, wait, is Stiles a werewolf too? That could explain the extra power coming from him?” Dean asked and Derek shook his head.

“I never offered him the bite, he didn’t need it.” Derek admitted, but he sounded so defeated by that statement that it made Dean hesitate and look to Sam and Jody for guidance, it didn’t look like they were about to attack, in fact, they all looked distraught about the fact they’d lost someone they cared about it, it surprised Dean, he knew Garth had been living as a werewolf in part of a pack, but, well, look what happened there? They hadn’t exactly been as harmless as they made out, but, there was something about this pack, something about the sorrow and grief in their features that made Dean pause in his tracks. 

“So, he’s not a werewolf and he doesn’t have magic, maybe he isn’t the reason Gusion is so powerful, we’ll figure it out, but, you were saying, that your dad, he, um, he raped Stiles?” Dean asked uncertainly, not sure how it was relevant to Gusion possessing Stiles.

“Yeah, Gusion, he possessed Rafael.” Peter explained, “We arrived here in time to hear them arguing, we didn’t know that Rafael was possessed, he was telling Stiles that none of us would believe him, that’s why he’d never said anything, we came in, Stiles hit Rafael with a bottle of holy water and there was all this smoke. Stiles figured out he was the demon and Rafael knocked him out, tied us all up and then told us all about how Rafael had abused Stiles for years and nobody had realised.” 

“But, you said your dad left when you were twelve?” Sam said in confusion to Scott, Scott nodded in confirmation looking sick and Sam nodded, his fists clenching under the table as he understood what wasn’t being said. 

“Gusion said he possessed Rafael and was going to get vengeance on Stiles, for making him leave his family, because Rafael pushed Scott down the stairs when he found out, Scott didn’t remember but Rafael was convinced Stiles would tell people, so, he left town. But, when Gusion possessed Rafael he thought that Stiles would want more vengeance and he’d be better to possess than to kill.” Lydia surmised.

“So, why didn’t he kill you guys? I mean, vengeance demon, not trying to be rude or anything, but, you didn’t notice that he was getting raped by your dad?” Dean asked and Scott’s eyes flashed gold for a moment before he took a steadying breath.

“No. I didn’t notice. I wouldn’t blame Stiles for hating me, for blaming me, but, he didn’t. He didn’t blame any of us. He blamed himself. Gusion thought it was funny because Stiles thinks he deserved it. He said something about ‘just my luck that I possess a maje who only takes vengeance for other people.’” Scott explained.

“A maje?” Sam said, his nose wrinkled in confusion.

“Wait, no, a mage!?” Dean asked sounding excited and Sam looked at him in surprise.

“Um, yeah, that sounds like it’s right, right?” Scott said, looking around at the rest of the pack for confirmation. 

“Yeah, he said mage, definitely.” Noah nodded, “We figured it was something like, I don’t know, a teenager or something?” 

“No fucking wonder he’s so powerful!” Dean grinned. 

“What are you talking about?” Sam queried and Dean practically jumped out of his seat.

“Are you shitting me right now!? How do you not know this Sammy!? I thought you were a nerd! A fucking mage! Oh my god! Cas! Cas, get your ass here now!” Dean called, the pack all growling uncertainly when a man appeared in their midst from nowhere. “Stiles! He’s a mage!” Dean said and Cas stared at him like he’d lost his mind for a moment before he nodded.

“That would explain the power I felt coming from him.” Cas agreed.

“Would one of you mind filling me in?” Sam muttered. 

“And the rest of us! What is a mage?” Derek growled and Cas looked at him in surprise, before assessing the rest of the pack. 

“And a werewolf?” He queried.

“No, human, totally human.” Dean grinned. 

“He’s strong.” 

“He’s a mage!” 

“Still, as a human, he shouldn’t have that influence…”

“Mage!” Dean cried out.

“I suppose, but he’d have to be a strong one, significantly stronger than any I’ve heard of before.” Castiel hummed. 

“Someone tell me what is going on right now!” Noah shouted and Cas and Dean both turned to look at him.

“They get like this sometimes.” Sam muttered, “Although, I haven’t seen Dean this excited in a while…” He commented. 

“You said you thought he was as powerful as Lucifer!” Dean argued when Castiel still looked indecisive. 

“I said archangel, you said Lucifer.” Cas replied. 

“Archangel? Lucifer? What the hell are you talking about?” Noah asked, looking like he was going to throw up. 

“Angels exist, obviously.” Dean gestured to Cas who nodded at them in greeting, “And, Stiles, Stiles is as powerful as one of their top dogs.” Silence greeted him and Dean kept grinning wildly regardless.

“Powerful how?” Boyd asked a minute later.

“Magic.” Cas replied. 

“But, Stiles doesn’t have magic?” Noah said, sounding uncertain. 

“A mage, which is what you said Gusion called him, they’re really powerful magic users. I read about them in one of the books in the bunker when I was looking for ways to kill Abbadon, she’s a knight of hell by the way. Anyway, mages used to train in these secret circles, they used to be given a mentor and they’d train under the mentor from when their powers first started appearing, when they were about twenty, until they were completely trained, which usually took about ten years. Then they’d spend a few years policing the local supernatural society, keeping them in line, until they retired and started training the next generation.” 

“I’m pretty sure we would have heard of mages before if they actually existed.” Peter scoffed derisively. 

“Yeah, you probably would have done, except they all died out about five hundred years ago, they got caught in a battle between archangels and some of the knights of hell, they were wiped out.” Dean admitted.

“So why do you think Stiles is a mage then?” Isaac asked. 

“Other than Gusion calling him one?” Dean said, “He’s powerful, I’ve never seen anyone fight a possession like that…”

“Gusion said Stiles was strong. That he could have been stronger than Gusion if he had the right training, but, without it, he was just untapped potential?”

“And raw power.” Jackson added and Derek nodded in agreement.

“But, how is he a mage? I mean, if they were all wiped out? How is he this powerful magic user?” Noah asked sounding shocked that they were even discussing this. 

“Mages have pure souls.” Castiel explained and sighed at the blank looks he was receiving, “Souls are physical things, things that can be seen and touched if you choose, a mage’s soul is pure, there is only ever good intentions there, they are tested, put through trials, ones that would break and destroy most people, but, they survive, they aren’t broken by their trials, they are stronger because of them.”

“Good intentions doesn’t mean they don’t do bad things though.” Dean clarified, “There was one mage who decided humanity needing wiping out in order to cleanse the world of disease, she was stopped before it became a reality, but, it sounds like it was a pretty close call.” 

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” Peter muttered.

“Exactly.” Dean said, “But, for Stiles to be a mage, his soul is pure, he must have been put through some kind of trial, something that he perhaps shouldn’t have been likely to survive, but, he did, so he became a mage, which means, he’d never willingly cause pain to people who didn’t deserve it, in his mind anyway.” 

“So, does this change things? Do you know a way that we can get Gusion out of Stiles’ body and get my son home?” Noah asked.

“What did you find?” Sam asked Castiel who grimaced.

“Nothing.” He lied.

“You’re lying.” Derek said firmly, “What did you find?”

“How do you know he’s lying?” Sam asked.

“I can hear his heartbeat.” Derek shrugged.

“Werewolves.” Dean said rolling his eyes, “Why are you lying?” He said to Cas before turning back to Derek, “Can I keep one of you around for a while?” Derek growled and Dean shrugged, “God, so sensitive, anyway, Cas, what did you find?”

“I found a way to kill Gusion, but, it will kill Stiles too.”

“It’s not an option.” Derek snarled. 

“I agree.” Castiel said. “This Stiles may be powerful, but, not powerful enough to survive Rowena’s spell, it’s why I didn’t want to bring it up.” 

“Hang on,” Chris interrupted, “Look, I know you’re all worried about Stiles and I get that, but, he’s not Stiles, not anymore. I don’t think we should rule out killing him if it’s necessary.” 

“No.” Derek growled, his eyes flashing red in Chris’ direction as everyone stared at the two of them in silence.

“Derek, Stiles is gone. He’s possessed. That thing walking around in his body isn’t him. I’m not willing to watch any of you die because none of you want to finish the job and kill him.”

“I said no.” Derek growled, his claws coming out and Chris reached for his gun, Allison’s hand on his arm stopping him. 

“Dad, Stiles is still alive in there, if there’s a way to save him then we have to try, okay? I get you are worried, but, Stiles is our friend and he’s trapped, we’re not going to quit on him. Not if there’s any other option.” She said earnestly and Chris grumbled before putting his gun away, Derek was still glaring at him with glowing eyes though, as if he expected Chris to try and shoot Stiles the instant he appeared.

“Okay, so, how about we go for the exorcism again, but, we’re better prepared this time?” Sam suggested, “We know which demon we’re summoning, we set up a devil’s trap, summon him, and then do the exorcism, Stiles should survive it and it would get rid of Gusion.” 

“I don’t like the words ‘Stiles should survive it’, is it possible that it could kill him?” Noah asked. 

“It’s always a possibility.” Dean remarked, “It’ll depend on the damage his body has suffered through the possession, if Gusion has damaged it beyond repair, then, Gusion is the only thing keeping him alive, we get rid of the demon and Stiles…”

“He dies.” Noah finished hollowly.

“Yes.” Dean confirmed, placing a hand on Noah’s shoulders in reassurance, “But, I promise you, we will do everything we can to make sure that doesn’t happen.” 

“And if it doesn’t work? If the exorcism doesn’t work?” Derek asked. 

“Let’s not worry about that now. If it doesn’t work, we’ll come up with another plan.” Sam reassured them, he looked to his brother, Cas and Jody, “We should start getting the stuff together for the summoning,” he looked back to Noah and Derek, “It’ll probably take us a few days to get the necessary ingredients for the summoning spell…”

“We’ve already got it.” Isaac said, gesturing to the table in the living room where Stiles had piled the ingredients and the relevant paperwork, “Other than the two pints of virgin’s blood, we hadn’t figured out where we were going to get that from.” He admitted sheepishly.

“I’m guessing that’s why Stiles wanted to know about becoming a born-again virgin?” Jody asked and Noah nodded wearily. 

“Well, good news then.” Sam said, shrugging off his jacket and pulling up his sleeve, ignoring the incredulous looks they were giving him, “It was a case, at least one of us stuck to it.” He shot Dean a look.

“Dude, she was Carmelita! What did you expect me to do!?” Dean grinned.

“Carmelita?” Peter quizzed, “Like, the porn star Carmelita!?” He asked and Dean’s grin widened.

“Exactly! You see! He gets it!” Dean gestured while Sam just rolled his eyes at his brother. 

“Anyway, so, we have the virgin’s blood, right? Which means we can do this now?” Derek queried impatiently, he wanted Stiles back, wanted to apologise, wanted to tell him how much he mattered to Derek, to all of them, wanted to make this right. 

“Jody, can you help Sammy, I’ll check over the spell.” Dean said, moving to the papers Stiles had left behind and scanning through them. 

“What do you need us to do?” Noah asked and Dean looked up at him. 

“I don’t think it’s a good idea that you are involved, in case this thing goes sideways…” Dean began.

“No, not a chance. We’re here. We’re helping. So, tell us what we need to do.” Noah said firmly, no room for argument in his voice. 

“Okay, well, we’ll need space for this, I was going to say that we could do it in the preserve, but, it would be better inside, where there’s no chance of anyone seeing us.” Dean admitted.

“We’ll move the furniture.” Noah said quickly and the pack got to work. 

The next half hour was filled with silence as the pack moved the furniture out of the living room, pulling back the carpet to the bare boards underneath, Sam and Jody had finished and Jody had placed a small plaster on Sam’s arm, the blood held in a jar in front of them. Dean had carried the ingredients over to the kitchen counter and had begun preparing them according to the spell.

“Look at this.” He muttered to Sam when he stood next to him, showing him the diagrams that Stiles had drawn, “This is the original, that whats-her-name used, but this,” He pointed to a larger more complicated design, “This is the summoning with the devil’s trap woven in, making sure that Gusion wouldn’t be able to get free, it’s brilliant.” 

“Did this Stiles design this?” Cas asked and Dean nodded.

“Yeah, judging by the twenty other attempts on the other pages before he decided on this one.” Dean said, handing them the previous drawings Stiles had done.

“It’s,” Sam started, looking a little misty eyed, “It’s perfect.” 

“Yeah, it’ll do the job.” Dean said, pouring Sam’s blood into the mix he’d been creating and stirring it. “You ready to do this?” He asked the room at large, moving into the living room and beginning to draw Stiles’ design. 

It took him the better part of two hours to be able to get it exactly right, he could sense the agitation coming from the rest of the people in the room, they were anxious to get this done, to get their friend back, but Dean couldn’t rush it, it had to be perfect, it had to be exactly the same as Stiles’ design otherwise it would be useless and they’d all die.

“Okay.” He said finally, standing up and brushing his hands on his jeans, admiring his work, comparing it repeatedly to Stiles’ design before he nodded, “We’re good to go.” 

“So, he will be trapped in the diagram?” Erica asked and Sam nodded.

“Yeah, we’ll summon him now, he’ll be trapped and then we can do the exorcism, this is going to be hard for you guys, he might say things that will sound like Stiles, try and convince you that it’s him, that it’s hurting him, but, you have to stay strong, that thing isn’t him, and, we have to finish the exorcism to have any chance of saving Stiles.” Sam explained. 

“We get it. Let you guys do your thing. Don’t fall for its tricks. Can we get on with it already?” Lydia asked impatiently and Dean nodded, turning to the diagram on the floor, lighting the candle in his hand and sitting it on the edge of the diagram.

“Attenrobendum eos, ad consiendrum, ad ligandum eos, potiter et solvendum, et ad, congregontum eos, ‘coram me.” Dean spoke clearly, his body tense and ready to react the instant Gusion appeared.

“Did it work?” Noah asked a moment later when nothing had happened, he’d barely gotten his question out when Stiles appeared in the circle, he was wearing the same black clothes he’d been wearing the night before, the only change was that he was wearing a crown on his head, Derek thought vaguely that it kind of suited him, Stiles looked pale with dark circles under his eyes, but, he also looked dangerous, deadly, like the throne of Hell was meant for him. 

“What a surprise, the Winchesters have teamed up with the local dogs.” Gusion smirked, moving to take a step forward and banging into an invisible barrier, he looked down at the diagram on the floor and the smirk fell from his features, replaced instead with a tight-lipped look of pure rage, “You’ll pay for this, you’re going to die, painfully.”

“You first asswipe.” Dean replied, “Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas…” The words stopped coming from Dean’s throat and the others watched in horror as Gusion raised a hand in front of him, his hand clenching like it was around Dean’s throat and Dean started to turn bright red, his knees buckling and he fell to the floor. 

“You think,” Gusion waved his arm again and the room shuddered, “That a measly trap like this,” He shot his other hand out and the floor shook, “Can hold the power that I possess?” He threw both his hands up and a large crack appeared in the floor, splitting the diagram in half.

There was silence in the room for a moment before Gusion stepped out of the circle, his eyes flashing black and a wide grin appearing on his face.

“That’s better. Now, let’s have a talk about manners.” Gusion said, waving his hands and knocking them all backwards, smashing them into the walls and pinning them there. “You know it’s rude, summoning me, trying to exorcize me, I don’t tolerate that kind of behaviour. Which means, someone needs to pay for it.” 

“Screw you!” Dean spat out and Stiles grinned. 

“It’s nice you think that keeping my attention will mean I don’t realise your angel is trying to sneak up on me.” Gusion said easily, turning and flicking his wrist so that Castiel was thrown hard against the opposite wall. “Now, the big question is, who do I kill first?” 

Gusion wandered along the line of werewolves and humans alike, pursing his lips in thought, grinning at each of them in turn before he stopped in front of Noah.

“I imagine you’re the one who organised this? I mean, you’re the only one still interested in getting Stiles back, aren’t you?” Gusion asked and Noah glared at him, “I think you need to pay for that. It’s going to upset Stiles, you know that, don’t you? You dying. It’s going to crush him. But, it’s about time you all realised the only reason any of you are alive is because if I kill you all then Stiles will fight me. Because he cares if you live or die. So, he behaves, and I don’t kill you. But, you know what, maybe you need to learn that you need to behave too.” 

“I’d rather be dead than let you control him.” Noah snarled.

“I’m so glad you offered.” Gusion smirked, raising his hand towards Noah when he suddenly froze and whatever power had been holding the others in place dropped away, leaving them all able to actually move again. “Stiles!” Gusion growled threateningly, he was struggling against something that seemed to be holding him in place. “Stiles! Let go!” He shouted.

“What’s going on?” Peter whispered to Sam who looked completely confused. 

“I think, maybe, Stiles is getting control?” He muttered uncertainly.

“Stiles? Can you hear me?” Noah asked in anticipation, leaning closer to Gusion. 

“Sorry, Stiles can’t come to the phone right now.” Gusion laughed manically before he seemed to shudder in pain again, letting out a scream of frustration. “Stop it!” He demanded. 

“What’s happening?” Scott whispered, sounding terrified, Gusion looked demented, out of control, his hands shaking, his whole body struggling against some unseen force. 

“No! No, Stiles, stop!” Gusion pleaded, sounding suddenly terrified and it gave the others hope, if Stiles was fighting him, if he was getting control, then maybe they stood a chance. 

“Do we, um, should we do the exorcism?” Dean mumbled, he was looking to Sam for guidance because he’d never witnessed anything like this before, Sam shrugged uncertainly, watching Gusion as a black goo started to drip out of his nose and bright red lines appeared on the back of his neck, spreading over his neck and then disappearing under the t-shirt he was wearing, “What the hell?” 

“Stop it!” Gusion screamed in sudden agony, “Get him to stop! Get him to stop now!” Gusion pleaded, his eyes flashing amber and then back to black, “Dad! Dad, please, help me!” 

“Stiles! Stiles, it’s okay, I’m right here, it’s working, whatever you’re doing, it’s working.” Noah said excitedly. 

“No, dad, no, it’s killing us, make him stop, make him stop please, he’s going to kill us, we’re going to die.” Gusion muttered darkly, his eyes flickering between black and amber, Noah grabbed onto his arms tightly, as if he could hold Gusion physically in place.

“You get the hell out of my son you bastard!” Noah started before suddenly Stiles was screaming in agony again. 

“Get him to stop! Make him stop! It’s killing us! It’s killing both of us!” Gusion screamed in pain and Noah looked terrified. 

“Is he telling the truth? Is Stiles dying?” Noah asked and Derek listened to the erratic pounding of Stiles’ heart, he couldn’t tell if he was lying or not, but, the red lines on the back of his neck were turning black now, the goo was almost running like a river from his nose and Stiles was coughing up even more even as Gusion screamed in pain. 

“I don’t know.” Derek said uncertainly. 

“Stiles! Stiles, you have to stop!” Noah cried out, “You’re killing yourself! You have to stop!” 

“Help me!” Gusion begged through the goo while Dean and Sam stood nearby looking revolted at what was happening. “Shut up! Shut up! Help me! Please!” He whimpered. 

“What do we do!?” Noah asked desperately, looking around the room for anyone who could help him, who could help Stiles, who could save him. Gusion started to scream again, sounding in so much agony that it made Noah shake with fear, how was Stiles supposed to survive this? God, what had they done? Stiles was going to die, he was going to die and there was nothing they could do. 

Gusion’s eyes flashed to black, until, eventually, what seemed like minutes later they slowly seeped back to amber.

“Got you.” Stiles mumbled weakly a second before a gust of black smoke blew from his mouth and disappeared through the floor. The sudden silence in the room was deafening and Stiles swayed on the spot before his knees gave out and he fell to the floor. 

“Stiles!” Noah cried, catching his son before he hit the floor, “Stiles? God, can you hear me? Is he alive? Is his heart beating?” Noah asked desperately. 

“Yeah, yeah, he’s alive.” Scott said in relief, collapsing down next to his best friend and placing a hand on his shoulder, as if the contact soothed him, “Stiles?” He whispered, studying his friend, the cuts that Gusion had created before he possessed Stiles had reappeared, there was also bruises appearing up his arms and the red lines on the back of his neck had faded to silver, looking like some kind of sickening lichtenberg scar that disappeared under his t-shirt, he was pale, so god damn pale he looked practically dead and the dark bags under his eyes had darkened significantly, like he hadn’t slept in weeks. “Stiles? Can you hear me? Wake up, please, wake up.” 

Stiles felt like he was trudging through sludge but it was important, it was so important that he woke up, that he warned them. He couldn’t help the groan that escaped his throat when he tried to blink open his eyes, they felt like lead, his voice was hoarse, he’d screamed until he could barely speak, but, he had to warn them. 

“Stiles?” His dad’s voice drifted through the fog and Stiles focused on that, forcing himself to blink a few more times until his dad’s face came into focus, along with the rest of the pack hovering around him nervously. “Are you okay kiddo?” 

“Not g’ne” Stiles muttered and Noah stared at him in confusion.

“It’s okay Stiles, just, take it easy, you’ve been through an ordeal.” Peter said when Stiles tried to sit up, pulling away from his dad and Scott. 

“G’sion here.” He tried again, clearing his throat and trying to get to his feet, barely able to stay upright without swaying on the spot.

“No, Stiles, you got rid of him, you did it kid, he’s gone.” Noah explained calmly. 

“Christo.” Stiles muttered and they all looked at him like he’d lost his mind, “Christo!” He said louder, clearer. 

“What are you doing?” Lydia asked in confusion.

“Christo?” Sam mumbled, his mind obviously spinning through the possibilities of what was happening right now, “Christo!?” He said louder, looking at Stiles with wide eyes and Stiles nodded. “You didn’t finish the exorcism?” Stiles shook his head.

“No, no, we saw that smoke. He’s gone.” Derek said quickly.

“The first half of the exorcism, it kicks him out of the host, but the second half sends him back to Hell. If Stiles didn’t finish the exorcism, if Gusion left the body, he could be in one of us already.” Sam explained. 

“So, Christo would…?” Jackson asked.

“The demon would flinch away from it.” Dean explained, “Christo.” He said loudly but nobody moved. 

“Where did he go then?” Isaac asked just as there was a loud crash from the basement. 

“What was that?” Jody asked. 

“Fuck! Rafael! We left him in the basement!” Derek cursed, trying not to pay attention to the way that Stiles lost whatever colour was left in his cheeks. 

“You put him in the basement!?” Sam squawked in surprise, there was another loud bang and everyone tensed. 

“Alright, new plan, the rest of you get out of here.” Dean said, moving to his bag and pulling out a wicked looking blade.

“What is that?” Allison asked. 

“Demon killing knife.” Dean grunted, stepping between the pack and the basement door, aware that every member of the pack was putting themselves between that door and Stiles who looked ready to pass out on the spot. “Get out of here.” 

“Wait! Can’t we, like, exorcise him or something?” Scott asked.

“Yeah, and if it doesn’t work, that’s where this comes in.” Dean said, bracing himself as the door burst open and Rafael stood on the other side, looking pissed beyond belief. He waved a hand, throwing Dean and Cas into the nearest wall before he’d gotten a chance to say a single word, Cas landing badly and sliding into unconsciousness, he waved the other hand and half the pack dropped to the ground crying in pain while the rest were thrown backwards.

“That wasn’t very nice Stiles. I thought we’d reached an agreement.” Gusion snarled, approaching Stiles. 

“You were going to kill my dad.” Stiles said, his voice sound weak but still determined. 

“And I will do. Once I get back in your body.” He said. 

“Not happening.” Dean said, getting to his feet a little unsteadily, the knife held tightly in his hand, before he was thrown across the room again, the knife dropping to the floor not far from Stiles. 

“Honestly, is that your tactic every time? Throw yourself into danger? Try and distract me so that your idiotic brother or damaged angel can try and kill me? It’s a bit ridiculous, isn’t it?” Gusion laughed, sending another wave of his arms and forcing everyone into the walls again. 

Stiles knew there was no way in hell he was letting that demon in again, not if he could help it. 

“Exorcizamus te, omnis immunde…” He started before Gusion’s hand wrapped around his throat.

“No, we’re not doing that again. It stopped being funny when you threw me out piece by piece. Try it again and I’ll put a knife in your gut.” Gusion glared.

“I’d rather you did.” Stiles retorted, “It would beat having to listen to you talk.” 

“Listen to me talk!?” Gusion said incredulously, throwing Stiles to the ground hard enough that he let out a gasp of pain, “You never fucking shut up! Never! If I didn’t need you alive for your magic then I’d have fucking killed you a thousand times over.”

“You leave him the hell alone.” Noah shouted, doing his best to get to his feet.

“Leave him alone!? You think I’m ever going to leave him alone!? You know, maybe I’ll keep Rafael around, let him fuck you whenever he wants, just like he used to, maybe I’ll wear you like a good little whore and spread my legs for him over and over because that’s all you are Stiles, all you’re good for, you’re pathetic, weak, useless, you think they’re going to help you!?” Gusion shouted when Stiles glanced around at the surrounding pack who were still trying to get to their feet, “You think they’d ever be willing to help you!? When they know how broken, how dirty, how fucked up you are? You’re nothing Stiles. Nothing. You’re less than the shit on their shoe. The only thing you’re good for is letting somebody fuck you, Rafael wants it, he’s happy to do it, he’s happy to come to Hell with us just so that he can fuck you…” Gusion stopped talking then, but it was only because he was staring in horror at the knife that was protruding from his stomach. 

Stiles stared at the knife in his hand, he hadn’t even realised he’d grabbed it, all he was thinking was that he couldn’t go back to that, couldn’t go back to being raped day in and day out, couldn’t go back to screaming helplessly against Gusion, watching when the demon did whatever he wanted with Stiles’ body and Stiles could do nothing about it. He couldn’t go back to that. He couldn’t. 

There was a flash of light, as if Gusion was being lit up inside Rafael’s body, and then his gaze went blank and Rafael collapsed to the floor, Stiles still holding the knife in shock. The entire room was silent, all of them staring at him like they’d never seen him before, because, god, he’d just stabbed Rafael, he’d killed him. Everyone was slowly getting to their feet, looking at Stiles like he was some kind of wild animal, and, god, he’d killed him.

“Is he dead?” Isaac whispered in a small voice and Stiles saw Derek nod. He was going to be sick, god, he was going to be, he couldn’t be here, he had to get out of here, he, god, Scott, he’d killed, shit, he’d killed Scott’s dad, he’d killed him. 

“Stiles?” His dad’s voice was nearby but Stiles couldn’t look at him, all he could see was the blood on his hands, he’d killed him, he’d killed Rafael, he’d killed, he was a murderer. “Stiles, it’s okay, just put the knife down.” His dad’s voice sounded calm, his words sinking in and Stiles dropped the knife, suddenly aware that he was still holding it, hitting the floor with a clatter that sounded overly loud, his heart was racing, his hands shaking, god, he had to get out of here, he had to leave, he had to run, now, right now. 

He was running before he even realised it, ripping open the front door and racing down the drive, he could hear shouting behind him but he blocked it out, his jeep starting the first time by some miracle and tearing out of there, god, how could they ever forgive him? He’d killed Scott’s dad. He’d killed Rafael. It was his fault. All his fault. He started to drive with no intention of looking back.


	6. Chapter 6

Noah didn’t need to be a werewolf to be able to see the panic on Stiles’ face, the shock, he knew that Stiles hadn’t intended to stab Rafael, Noah personally didn’t mind either way, but he knew his son would have never meant to do that, he was terrified, he was sleep deprived, he was injured, he was being taunted by a demon wearing the face of the monster who had raped him for years. Noah didn’t blame him, he just wanted to hug him and tell him it was okay, instead Stiles had turned tail and run, catching them all by surprise, not even the werewolves being able to catch up with him before his jeep disappeared around the corner of the road. 

“Get in! We’re going after him!” Derek called, Noah only just having a chance to slide into the passenger seat before Derek was speeding down the road. 

“He went right!” Jackson called from the back seat and Derek spun the wheel, the back tyres swinging into the opposite lane as he made the corner. 

“Where is he?” Noah muttered in a panic when the jeep was nowhere in sight.

“We’ll find him.” Derek said through gritted teeth.

It took them half an hour before they realised that they had no idea where Stiles was, there was no point in calling his phone, it was still sat on the sideboard at home, there was no way to track him other than putting out an APB on his jeep which Noah did within ten minutes of them starting the search. 

After an hour, they realised that the only thing they could do was to head home and wait for Stiles to return to them, even if it felt like giving up. Derek pulled to a stop at the curb, sighing heavily as he looked at the empty spot where Stiles’ jeep had been parked, reassuring himself that Stiles would be back, just as soon as he’d calmed down. 

He walked back into the living room, surprised to find that the members of the pack who had stayed behind had already started tidying up the mess that they’d left, Dean, Sam and Jody helping to remove the diagram drawn in blood on the floor while the pack rearranged the furniture and Peter helped Melissa to cover Rafael’s body. 

“What are you going to do with him?” Derek asked and Melissa shrugged.

“I don’t know.” She said honestly, “I do know I’m not letting Stiles take the fall for this.” She added fiercely, looking at Noah and Jody with determination in her eyes.

“Don’t look at me, I saw nothing.” Jody dismissed.

“Me neither.” Noah agreed, “But, if we take the body in then they could find DNA, or, tie Stiles to it in some way, nobody is going to believe that he was possessed.”

“We can take him.” Dean said, “We’ll give him a proper burial, one that will make sure he doesn’t come back as a ghost.” 

“Dean…” Sam sighed.

“What? You’d rather risk them handing him over to the FBI? You know they’ll find something to tie Stiles to it, you want him to go to prison?” 

“No, of course not, but, I also think it’s probably a bad idea to drive around with a body in the boot.” Sam complained. 

“Wouldn’t be the first time.” Dean commented.

“Exactly! Look, why don’t we take him out to the preserve, we can burn him there?” Sam suggested.

“Stiles might want to see it, make sure he’s really dead.” Scott muttered, staring at the sheet covering his father’s body and looking shocked.

“Scott, it’s okay kiddo.” Noah said, placing a hand on Scott’s shoulder and pulling him into half a hug when the tears started running down Scott’s face.

“He’s my dad, he’s my dad and he’s dead, and, he deserved it. I know that. I would have killed him myself, he hurt Stiles, he hurt my best friend, and he wasn’t even upset about it, you know how messed up that is? That he didn’t even see anything wrong with the fact that he raped Stiles? But, he’s still my dad. I shouldn’t care. I don’t want to care.” Scott sobbed while Noah rubbed his back gently and muttered nonsense that sounded vaguely comforting. 

“It’s okay to still love him Scott, it’s okay. Stiles wouldn’t want you to hate him.” Melissa whispered.

“Yeah, that’s why he kept quiet for so long, because he didn’t want me to hate my dad, despite the fact my dad was abusing him. God, how am I ever going to face him? How am I ever going to get him to forgive me?” Scott said, fresh tears spilling down his cheeks. 

“It’ll be okay Scott, I promise you, it’ll be okay.” Melissa repeated. 

Stiles still hadn’t appeared by the early hours of the morning so the pack, along with Sam, Dean and Jody, took Rafael’s body out into the preserve, they built a pyre and covered him in salt before they burned him, everyone staring with various emotions on their faces, disgust, contempt, relief, pain, grief and guilt, even the Winchesters seemed to be relieved that the body was being burned rather than a traditional burial. 

By the following morning there was still no sign of Stiles and Noah was really beginning to panic, he didn’t know what else he could do, how could he find his son? What if the exorcism hadn’t worked and Gusion had somehow crawled back into Stiles and was running around as him right now?

“The exorcism worked, and the knife, the demon killing knife, that worked, didn’t it?” Noah asked Dean as he threw their bags in the back of the impala. 

“Yeah it did. Gusion is dead.” Dean agreed.

“So, there’s no way that he’s still running around inside Stiles? Or any other demon got him?” Noah whispered, voicing his terror for the first time, Dean sighed, shutting the boot and turning to look at Noah seriously. 

“Gusion is dead. As for other demons, I don’t know, and I can’t say where Stiles is right now or what happened to him since he left yesterday.” He paused, “But, what I can tell you, is that I have never, ever, seen someone complete an exorcism while the demon was possessing them. Stiles is strong. He’s smart. Right now, he’s scared, he’s confused and he’s probably in shock, and, you know what, I still wouldn’t risk going up against him. He’s powerful Noah, his magic was the thing that Gusion used to get control of Hell, Gusion just knew how to direct it. Any demon in its right mind is going to be running in the exact opposite direction to Stiles. I promise you, he will be fine, and he will come home. He just needs time.” Dean reassured him and Noah nodded, blinking back tears. 

“Yeah, you’re right.” He swiped a hand across his face and then forced a smile, “So, what’s next for you three?”

“Well I’m heading home.” Jody said, “I’ve got a few open cases of my own to solve.” She grinned before giving Sam and Dean a hug and then turned to Noah and Derek, “Don’t be strangers, you need me, you’ve got my number, and, get Stiles to call me when he gets back.” 

“I will do.” Noah said, giving her a quick hug, grateful for all the help she’d provided. “Same goes for you too, you need anything, we’re here.” 

“Thanks.” Jody grinned, moving away to hug the others in the pack. 

“What about you boys?” Noah asked.

“We’ve got a lead for the first blade, we need it to kill a demon called Abbadon. It’s complicated, but, yeah, there’s always another case for us.” Sam said. 

“Well, same as I said to Jody, you need us, call, okay?” Noah said. 

“We will do. You get Stiles to call us when he gets home. I want to talk to him.” Dean said then pursed his lips in thought, “But, we’ll keep an eye out for him too, you know, in case we spot his jeep or whatever.” Noah looked like he was about to burst into tears again.

“Thanks, that’s, thank you.”

“He’ll be home soon though. I’m sure of it.” Dean said, patting Derek on the shoulder and giving the werewolf a small smile, Derek knew it was probably going to be the best he would get from the hunter.

“Thank you.” Derek replied and Dean nodded.

“Alright, we best be getting off, we’ll see you around.” Sam said, giving them all a parting wave before they slid into the impala and drove off. 

Noah got to work giving out a cover story, after all, he wanted people looking for Stiles and not Stiles and Rafael together. So, he put the word out that Stiles had escaped from Rafael and that, while they had no idea where Rafael was now, Stiles had fled not long after, terrified that Rafael was going to come after him again. He also knew it was important to Stiles that Rachel and the others that had been possessed were exonerated so, with the help of Derek and the rest of the pack, they managed to create enough evidence to suggest that there could have been someone else who committed the murders and Noah released the three of them without any charges, Rachel had smiled gratefully at him, telling him that she really appreciated it and could he please tell Stiles thank you. Noah wasn’t completely sure that she deserved to go free, she’d summoned Gusion, she’d brought this hell into their lives, but, it wasn’t her fault, not really, all Gusion had done had told them the secrets that Stiles had been keeping from them for years.

They found Stiles’ jeep four days later in the next state over, it had been ditched at the side of the road with a note left inside, the deputy who called Noah explained that it had been sat there a couple of days and they’d investigated and found the note. 

“You don’t think it was foul play? No sign to suggest he was forcibly removed from the jeep?” Noah asked desperately. 

“No Sir, it looks like it packed up and your kid left it there, probably walked to the bus station, it’s not far from there.” The deputy replied.

“What did the note say?” Noah asked, aware that the rest of the pack were sat listening to this conversation, they’d barely left since Stiles had gone missing, only going to their own homes for showers and a change of clothes, attending school and returning to the Stilinski household as soon as they possibly could. Noah was grateful, he was almost certain that without their support he would have fallen apart.

“It says, ‘I’m sorry, tell Scott and Melissa I’m sorry, I love you, I’m so sorry, please don’t try to find me, I’m sorry.’” The deputy paused, “Do you know what he’s apologising for?” 

“No. We, um, he thinks I blame him for something that wasn’t his fault…” Noah started before his voice trailed off, his throat tightening and tears threatening to spill from his eyes, he cleared his throat, “Thanks for telling me, I’ll arrange for the jeep to be collected and brought home.”

“And what about the search? Do you want us to carry on looking for him?” The deputy asked.

“Yes, no, I, I don’t know. He, I think maybe he needs time to sort his head out, he’s asked us not to look for him, I just, I guess, I have to hope that he knows how much I love him and that he’ll come home when he’s ready.” Noah said uncertainly. 

“If you’re sure?” The deputy muttered.

“No, hell no I’m not sure, my son has run away from me, from us, because he thinks it’s his fault and it’s not, god, it’s so not his fault, and, I need to find him, I need to tell him I love him and I want him home, but, how can I? When he needs space? When he needs time? How can I force this on him?” Noah replied, sighing heavily again, “Look, just, leave it, I’ll arrange for the jeep to be collected, and, god, don’t, I want him home, but, when he’s ready. So, do as he says, don’t look for him.” Noah said with a finality before hanging up the phone and looking around at the gathered pack. 

“What are you talking about?” Scott said angrily, “We can’t just not look for him. It’s Stiles!” 

“You think I’m not aware of that fact Scott? You think that I’m not aware of the fact I’m telling the police not to look for my son!? What do you think I should do? You think I should track him down and force him to come back here? To the place where he was supposed to be safe and instead he spent years being abused by your dad!” 

“And you blame me for that!? I didn’t know! You think I wouldn’t have told you or mom if I knew what was going on!?” Scott said looking equal parts angry and devastated, Noah took a long slow breath before letting it out again and rubbing at his eyes, emotions had been running high for days, he knew he needed to stay calm or he’d say something he’d regret.

“I’m not saying it’s your fault Scott, it’s not. It’s not yours, or your mom’s. Rafael did this, he’s the one that did those awful things to Stiles. He’s the one that paid the price for it.” Noah replied wearily. 

“It’s not your fault either.” Derek commented, “You didn’t know Noah, none of us did, it’s not your fault. Stiles knows that, we all know that.” 

“Yeah, well, we can talk about that once Stiles gets home.” Noah muttered before letting out another sigh, “There’s no point in you all waiting here, if I hear anything, I’ll let you know, but, until then, I think you should all go home, rest, get some sleep, go to school, do your homework, do, I don’t know, whatever you need to do to get back to normal.” 

“But…” Isaac said, looking at the others uncertainly, “We don’t…I want to stay here, until Stiles is home?” He looked to Derek who nodded. 

“You could be in for a long wait.” Noah said in reply. 

“We don’t mind.” Erica shrugged, “I mean, I know at some points we’re going to have to go home and stuff, but, Stiles is pack, our pack, and, so are you, and, it’s, Stiles matters to us, to all of us, and, we let him down, we didn’t notice what he was going through when Rafael came back to town, or even before that, and, I know he’ll be worrying about you, about how you are, so, if he gets in touch, I want to be able to tell him that we’ve been looking out for you.” Noah looked to be on the verge of tears but he nodded tightly. 

Derek was the one who grabbed the post from the letterbox the following week on his way up the drive, stilling in his tracks when he saw a postcard with Stiles’ scrawled writing on the back.

‘I’m alive. I love you. I’m sorry.’ 

Derek dashed into the house, pushing past the pack members that were there at the moment and handing the card to Noah who looked at Derek with faint bemusement before he looked at the postcard and froze.

“What is it?” Allison asked. 

“It’s from Stiles. He says he’s alive, that he loves me and that he’s sorry.” Noah said in wonder, staring at the postcode and looking for any other hints that Stiles might have left him. 

“That’s great news.” Lydia said, trying to sound optimistic, although they all wanted to know more, wanted to know how Stiles was doing, what he was doing, where he was, they wanted him home.

The next few weeks were hard, they kept getting the odd postcard, all saying the same thing, that Stiles was alive, that he was sorry, that he loved Noah. They were all from different places, with no pattern to Stiles’ travels, it was obvious he was trying to make it difficult for them to find him, not that they were looking, but, Stiles didn’t know that. Melissa was getting through the days by spending time with Noah and the pack, using them to keep herself busy, so that she didn’t have to dwell on the fact that her husband had done such despicable things and that she had been so blind. 

Stiles’ eighteenth birthday passed by without any kind of celebration, only the next postcard that they received a few days afterwards to say once again that he was still alive and that he was sorry. Noah hated it, he wanted his son home, wanted him to be here with them so they could celebrate properly, instead Stiles was god only knew where and there was no way they could get in touch with him and tell him to come home.

It was two months before Noah got the call he’d been dying to hear, he’d adapted to his new routine as best he could, unable to express just how grateful he was to the pack for sticking around, he didn’t know how he would have coped without them, if the house had been empty and he had been alone. As it was Stiles’ absence was felt by all of them every day, but, they were getting on with their lives as best they could, praying every day that today would be the day that Stiles returned to them.

Noah saw Dean’s name flashing up on his mobile as he was on his way home from his shift, he’d had a long day and he was looking forward to the lasagne that Peter had said he was cooking, it wasn’t as good as Stiles’, but, nothing really was. He’d spoken to the Winchesters a few times since Stiles had disappeared, informing them that he’d run away and then talking to them about whatever case they were on at the time, he had to be honest, their life sounded pretty awful at the moment and he wished he could help, but, unless he figured out a way to remove the mark of Cain from Dean’s arm, he didn’t think he was going to help much.

“Hey Dean, how’s things?” Noah asked as he answered the call and pulled up in the driveway. 

“Noah.” Dean sounded serious and Noah tensed, he wondered what the hell else had happened. “We’ve found him.” 

“What?” Noah whispered, afraid that speaking too loudly would break the hope that was building in his chest. 

“We’ve got him, he’s safe.” Dean repeated and Noah broke into sobs, the relief in his chest making it hard for him to breathe.

“Really? You’re telling me…he’s there? Can I talk to him?” Noah asked, throwing open his door and hurrying to the house, regardless of the fact that his legs were shaking as Derek opened the door and looked at him with worry, “It’s Dean, Sam and him, they’ve got him, they’ve found Stiles.” 

“What!?” The pack all shouted excitedly, “Can we talk to him? Is he okay? Are you bringing him home? How far away are you?” There was a stilted silence on the other end of the phone and Noah began to panic.

“He is okay, isn’t he? He’s alive? He’s safe?” Noah queried.

“He’s alive yeah, but…” Dean began.

“But what? What’s happened to him? Can I talk to him? Let me talk to him, please.” Noah pleaded.

“You can’t at the moment, he’s unconscious, we were tracking an incubus, we found it in an alleyway with its latest victim, turns out it was Stiles, he’d used himself as bait to lure the thing out, he reckons it’s the only thing he’s good at. We managed to kill it in time, but, it was a pretty close call. We told him you’ve missed him and want him home, he told us he wasn’t coming home, wasn’t ready, didn’t want to. And, maybe, I may have told him he was being ridiculous and tried to force him to get in the car.”

“What happened?” Noah said, practically biting his nails with worry.

“He’s been practicing his magic, that’s what. Nearly took my head off, accidently, I think, but, I don’t know, maybe it was on purpose, who knows, right? Sam managed to knock him out and we got him in the car, but, I just, I’m not sure forcing him to come home is the best thing for him right now. I mean, he’s alive, but, he doesn’t look like he’s been doing too good, and, I don’t know, I just think that maybe forcing him might not have the best reaction…” Dean trailed off uncomfortably as Noah stared at the phone in silence. 

“So what are you suggesting? You let him go? He runs off again and carries on using himself as bait for whatever stupid plan he has?” Noah queried sounding tearful again but for a completely different reason. 

“No, no, I don’t want him alone out here, it’s too dangerous for him. But, I thought I could suggest to him that he stays with us at the bunker for a while, maybe we can convince him to come home over time? I just, I don’t think forcing Stiles to do anything he’s not ready to do is a good idea right now.” Dean explained and Noah sighed.

“No, I, you’re right, I don’t want to force him into coming home, not if he’s not ready, but, god, I want him home, I want to see him and talk to him and tell him it’s okay.” Noah said, running a hand through his hair in agitation, “Maybe, you’re right, take him to the bunker, ask him to stay with you, and, if he won’t, please, tell me, call me, I’d rather risk making this worse than let him run away again.” Noah said, ignoring the way the pack all looked devastated, he felt it too. He wanted his son home, but, more importantly, he wanted him happy.

Dean hung up the phone with Noah a few minutes later, reassuring him the entire time, promising him that he’d keep him updated on what was happening, he wasn’t sure it was a good idea taking Stiles in, not with the dangers they were facing at the moment, the mark of Cain, Abbadon, Metatron, to name just a few, but, he knew that if they let Stiles go, if they let him go his own way, chances are, they’d never see him again, and, if they took him back to his dad, Dean would be willing to bet that Stiles would have left again within twenty-four hours, no, keeping him close was the best way to keep him safe right now. Now he just needed to convince Sam.

He walked back towards the impala where Sam was sat in the passenger seat, Stiles was still unconscious in the back seat, he looked like he’d been through the ringer in the past few weeks, he had a few cuts and bruises from the events with the incubus and the fight with Sam and Dean afterwards, but, that wasn’t the worst of it, he looked exhausted, there were dark bags under his eyes, his clothes were dirty and starting to smell slightly. Dean knew sometimes on a hunt these things happened and he wasn’t particularly bothered about that, but, it was the way that Stiles seemed to have no belongings, nothing with him, nobody looking out for him, like he wasn’t even looking out for himself and Dean wanted to protect him, possibly because Stiles reminded him of Sam at that age, stubborn, doing what he wanted without thinking about anyone else, determined to escape the life that had led him down this path, and, whereas Sam had done that by going off to college, Stiles had done it by running away from everything he knew. 

Sam handed him a burger as he slid back into the driver’s seat and raised an eyebrow when Dean turned slightly in his seat, snapping a quick picture of the sleeping Stiles and sending it in a group message to Noah and the pack, receiving a reply almost immediately from Noah thanking him along with messages from the pack asking what the hell had happened and why was Stiles bruised, he ignored all of them. 

“Well, what did he say?” Sam asked, “Are we taking him back or is someone coming to meet us?” 

“Neither.” Dean replied, taking a bite of his burger and then frowning slightly when he heard Stiles start to stir in the back seat. “Hey, Stiles? You with us?” 

Stiles blinked his eyes open slowly, looking around and seeing both Sam and Dean staring at him from the front seat, the events that had led to this meeting running through his mind quickly, the incubus, luring it out had been easy, too easy really, Rafael had been right, that was all Stiles was good for, playing bait, spreading his legs and getting fucked. But, he’d been learning, teaching himself how to fight, how to hold his own against these creatures, and then, then the fucking Winchesters had turned up and interrupted his hunt and he’d nearly died.

He narrowed his eyes at them, if they thought he was going to make this easy on them then they were sorely mistaken. He took a moment before he sat up, looking out of the windows to figure out where he was and how quickly he’d be able to get away, they were parked in the car park of some greasy burger joint and Stiles prayed they didn’t hear his stomach rumble loudly at the smell of food, it was obvious they did when Sam handed him a box from the front of the car.

“I figured you’d be hungry.” Sam said simply and Stiles pursed his lips, trying to think through his options before settling on taking the burger from him and taking a bite. “I got you curly fries as well.” Sam added passing him a bucket of fries and a drink, Stiles did his best not to let out a whimper of relief at the food. 

The three of them ate in silence until Stiles was finished, he was pretty sure he wasn’t going to be running anywhere right now, in fact, what he wanted to do was lie back down and go to sleep, but, that wasn’t an option, that would result in him back in Beacon Hills, back with his dad and the pack and god, he wanted that so badly, he wanted to go home, but, he couldn’t, he couldn’t see the looks of pity, hatred and disgust in their eyes, couldn’t face the blame that they would lay on him, he didn’t want to see them, he wasn’t ready to see them. 

“I talked to your dad.” Dean said into the silence and Stiles tensed, his heart beating rapidly in his chest and his breath starting to come in short gasps. “He wants you to come home.” Dean said, apparently oblivious to Stiles’ oncoming panic attack. “He says he doesn’t blame you, it wasn’t your fault and he loves you and wants you home.” 

“It was my fault. I killed him.” Stiles muttered quietly.

“Bullshit. You killed the demon that was about to possess you. He just so happened to be possessing the man who abused you for years. That wasn’t your fault kid, you did what you had to do.” Dean replied. 

“I didn’t have to kill him. I could have done another exorcism.” Stiles argued.

“Yeah, because the last one nearly killed you so logically you should have tried to do it again.” Dean said rolling his eyes.

“Yes, I should have! That was Scott’s father! I killed his dad! I should have done something else! I should have tried something else!” Stiles shouted getting agitated.

“Look, Stiles, let’s be reasonable here,” Sam started, “You were possessed by a demon who used your body to do awful things, you managed to exorcise him while he was still possessing you, which is something we’ve never seen by the way, and he came back, and he was going to do it again, he was going to possess you again and there was nothing any of us could do about it. You did what was necessary to protect yourself and nobody can blame you for that.” Sam said calmly, trying to be a voice of reason. 

“I don’t care, I’m not going home and you can’t force me to!” Stiles said argumentatively. 

“God job we’re not trying to make you then.” Dean said, starting the car and pulling out of the car park, and both Stiles and Sam looked at him in shock. 

“What?” Sam sighed in frustration whereas Stiles just stared at him like he’d grown a second head. 

“I spoke to your dad, he doesn’t want to force you to do anything you’re not ready to do, so, I suggested you stay with us at the bunker for a while.” Dean shrugged, starting up the car. 

“Are you kidding me!?” Sam said angrily, glaring at Dean, “Look what happened last time we took somebody in!? And you want to risk that again? Or have you forgotten about Kevin!?” 

“Of course I haven’t forgotten him!” Dean growled, “I just thought…”

“Thought what!? You never think Dean! You just do whatever you think is right and screw the consequences!” 

“I wasn’t going to let you die Sam! I’m sorry if you think that was the wrong thing to do but…”

“Kevin died because you wouldn’t let me die!” Sam shouted. “I killed him!”

“You didn’t kill him Sam, Gadreel did!” Dean argued back.

“Who’s Gadreel?” Stiles queried from the back seat, interrupting their argument, looking at the two of them with confusion. 

“He’s the angel that Dean talked into possessing me to save me.” Sam snarled. 

“And then Gadreel killed Kevin? Who is someone you both cared about?” Stiles asked. 

“Yes, using my hands to do it.” Sam admitted.

“Alright, so, let me just get this straight, you’re telling me that the things I did while I was possessed by a demon wasn’t my fault, that the people he killed wasn’t my fault, that even though I killed him even when I wasn’t possessed, it still wasn’t my fault, and yet, the fact that you were being possessed by an angel, that the angel killed Kevin, that’s somehow your fault? Or Dean’s fault? You’re being a little hypocritical don’t you think?” Stiles said and they both turned to look at him, “Hey, focus on the road!” Stiles said and Dean turned back to look at the road instead. “Well, which is it? Either it is your fault that Kevin’s dead, in which case what Gusion did is my fault, or, it’s not your fault? You can’t have it both ways!” 

“It’s not that simple Stiles, you don’t know…” Sam began.

“I think it is pretty simple actually, or did you secretly want to kill Kevin?” Stiles asked and Sam glared at him. 

“Of course not.” 

“Well, I don’t see what the problem is then? You were possessed, you keep telling me it wasn’t my fault so why would it be your fault? Unless you’re lying to me just to try and make me feel better?” Stiles said and Sam stared at him, opening and closing his mouth several times before he turned to look at Dean with a befuddled stare.

“So, are you going to come with us to the bunker? We have a hot shower and can get you some home cooked food?” Dean offered.

“Considering I’m already in your car, you’re driving and I’m not quite so idiotic as to throw myself out of a moving car just yet, I figure, yeah I’m coming with you. For now, at least.” Stiles said, knowing that at present he didn’t have any other options, but, as soon as he had the chance, he was going to get the hell away from them, he didn’t need a bloody counselling session, he needed to run as far as he could for as long as he could.

Stiles had to admit he was amazed by the bunker, Sam showed him to one of the bedrooms and Stiles felt a little lost, he had nothing to put down, nothing he owned, he’d run out of his dad’s house with nothing in his pockets, he’d had the jeep until that had run out of fuel and then he’d written a note apologising to his dad, climbed out and walked until he couldn’t any more, knowing that going to the bus station would have given them an easy way to track him. 

He’d manged to hitch a lift when he was walking along one of the highways, he knew how dangerous that was, but, he didn’t know what else to do, he had no money, no change of clothes, nothing. He’d managed to get by, the first woman who had given him a lift had sighed heavily when he got out of the car at the other end, passing him a hundred dollars with a sad look in her eyes and told him to look after himself, he’d told her he didn’t need it, that he’d be fine, but, she insisted. It had been enough for him to get an anti-possession tattoo, there was no way he was allowing that to happen again, not if he could help it, and it was worth going hungry for a few days. He’d just sort of happened upon the djinn that had attacked him a few days later, he’d barely made it out of there alive and it was then that he made the decision to start learning everything he could about how to use his magic. 

He’d travelled to several different cities, using their libraries to find the most reliable books, slipping inside easily at night providing him with somewhere to sleep and he could usually find something to eat lying around, if he was really lucky he found some clothes in the lost and found and managed to get clean clothes every once in a while. It wasn’t the best life, but, honestly, it was what he deserved, after what he’d done, he deserved to be living in fear. 

When the harpy attacked him, he figured that it couldn’t be a coincidence, that was when he made the decision to go on the attack, go after them before they could come after him. It was the smart move, or at least he told himself that repeatedly as he bandaged himself up. He’d never dreamed he’d bump into the Winchesters, and now that he had he wasn’t sure what to think, they weren’t going to force him to go home which was great, and they’d given him a bed to sleep in, Sam even gave him some clothes that were a few inches too long or several inches too short, but, he managed to get them to fit just about, he thought some of them were Dean’s, he guessed the rest of them belonged to the Kevin that they’d mentioned. 

He’d showered and cleaned himself up, feeling better in fresh clothes even if they didn’t fit quite perfectly, then he’d headed out, wandering around the bunker in awe, it was huge, kitted out with everything they could ever need, he managed to find his way into the main room eventually, his fingers trailing along the spines of all the books there, he couldn’t even begin to imagine what he might be able to discover if he read them, he wanted to believe there could be at least something in one of these about his magic.

Before he could get distracted by the books Sam steered him towards a large desk and sat him down, handing him a plate of sandwiches.

“Eat, you need your strength.” Sam said before disappearing back into another room which Stiles figured might be the kitchen, especially when Dean came out a few moments later carrying a couple of beers and handing one to Stiles who looked at it in surprise.

“One beer isn’t going to kill you, besides, you look like you need it.” Dean said, plopping into the seat next to him, propping his feet up on the table and sipping a beer while he started reading a book, Stiles hesitated for a moment before he took a sip of the beer and grabbed one of the other books on the table, ignoring the sandwiches in favour of the information in front of him. He wasn’t aware of Sam taking a picture of the pair of them from the kitchen doorway and sending it to his dad, telling them that Stiles had agreed to stay with them, at least for a little while, they just had to bribe him with books. 

Noah had replied to the message, thanking him over and over, telling him that he was dying to speak to Stiles and to please ask him to call him as soon as he was ready. Sam said he would do, and that he’d keep them all up to date with how Stiles was doing, before he studied the faint smile on his brother’s lips when he glanced at Stiles, as if proud of himself for helping him, it made Sam’s heart thud unsteadily. 

He loved Dean, he did, and he’d do anything for him, but he was hurting, grieving, Kevin was dead because of him, even if Stiles had given him some food for thought this afternoon, it would take time to heal, and, he didn’t blame Dean, not really, he knew his brother had been trying to save him, but, Sam had been ready to die, he’d been ready to go, ready to move on, and then Dean had dragged him back into this, into this fight, into this hell, and, he didn’t want to be annoyed about that, but, he was, he knew he’d get over it, forgive him eventually, he just wished Dean could have thought about what Sam wanted. 

Stiles was in heaven, he’d never seen so much supernatural information in one place before, he could get lost in this, he had got lost in this, he wasn’t sure how long he’d been sat here, he’d given up sitting at the desk, instead moving into the shelves and sitting on the floor there, his back pressed against the nearest bookcase, books scattered around him as he read page after page of information, of magic, of spells, of mages, of how they used to train, how they used to progress, how they used to help. He wasn’t sure how long it had been since he’d last slept, barely aware of Dean or Sam putting food next to him every once in a while, but, there was just so much he was dying to know, how much he had to learn, and, the books he was reading, they were only a small portion of what was available here, he could spend the rest of his life in here reading and he still wouldn’t have covered everything, he still wouldn’t have read everything he could. 

“You’re a proper man of letters, aren’t you?” Sam said as he handed him a grilled cheese sandwich, “You know you’re going to have to sleep at some point?” He said gently and Stiles looked up from his latest book to stare at him. 

“Do I?” He replied sarcastically and Sam smiled at him fondly.

“Yeah, you do.” He paused, “We’ve got a hunt, vampires, we’re probably going to be gone for a few days at least, you going to be okay here on your own?” Sam asked and Stiles frowned.

“I could come with you instead?” He suggested just as Dean appeared with a duffle bag slung over his shoulder.

“I don’t know…” Sam pursed his lips in thought.

“I think it’ll be good for him, get him out, away from the books.” Dean teased and Stiles grinned at him. 

“Alright, okay,” Sam agreed, knowing he was beaten, “But, you stay back, you stay safe, your dad will kill us if anything happens to you.” 

“Okay, fair enough.” Stiles said easily, dashing off to his room to grab a bag and throw in some of the clothes that they’d given him. 

Needless to say, Stiles didn’t end up staying back, he’d planned on doing, planned on listening to Sam and doing as he was told, but, Dean ended up getting kidnapped and Sam was too busy going out of his mind to notice Stiles slipping out of the motel door, of course Stiles was the one who managed to track them down. Well, more like he kind of went for a walk and the vampires seemed to find him, he was working on a theory and it wasn’t one he was going to end up liking if it was true, it was even more of a reason to stay the hell away from Beacon Hills, to keep them safe. After all, if once was an accident, twice a coincidence and three times a pattern, eleven times was irrefutable proof for Stiles.

He'd never had to behead a vampire before, it was…an experience he guessed. It wasn’t like he had learned enough about his magic for it to be overly useful, but, he did know how to swing a machete, mainly because it was kind of like a baseball bat. 

After the job was done he’d untied Dean and they’d hightailed it out of there, meeting up with Sam who was more than a little bit pissed that Stiles had gone off without him, Stiles tried to explain that he hadn’t, that the vampires had just grabbed him and he couldn’t do anything about it. Dean was the one who managed to calm Sam down eventually, giving him a pat on the shoulder and a reassuring grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes and then Sam was pulling him into a hug and telling him he was sorry and Stiles felt like he was intruding on something private, especially when Dean hugged him back just as tightly and kept muttering, “It’s okay Sammy, I’m sorry too, it’s okay, we’re okay.” 

Stiles had stood there, covered in blood and the odd cut and bruise and wished his dad was here to hug him, then he thought about the fact that Scott would never get to hug his dad again and that was because of Stiles, he gritted his teeth, clenched his fists and forced a bright smile onto his face.

“So, not that I’m not saying that getting kidnapped and nearly killed by vampires wasn’t fun, but, I’d kind of like avoiding having to go through that again in the future, so, maybe, one of you could teach me how to fight? So, like, you know, I can survive easier?” He asked when they broke apart and they both turned to look at him, Sam rubbing his head affectionately and Dean resting his hand on his shoulder, looking at him with serious eyes.

“You did good today Stiles, you should be proud. You saved my life.” Dean said.

“I’m pretty sure you would have escaped by yourself eventually, or Sam would have found you.” He dismissed the compliment easily.

“Maybe, but, look, one way that could make this all easier is if you went home…” Dean began and Stiles glared at him. 

“I’m not going home.” Stiles snarled, he wasn’t going to tell them it wasn’t just because he’d murdered Rafael, but, also because they wouldn’t be safe with him around, not anymore, not now he knew he had magic. He was already turning away, feeling like an idiot, he thought Sam and Dean had kind of enjoyed having him around, that they liked the company, but, now they were looking for the first excuse to get rid of him. He should have realised. In all honesty, he thought this was probably the best thing, he liked Sam and he liked Dean and, really, if he was a monster magnet now that he was using his magic, and he was pretty sure he was, getting as far away from them as possible was the sensible thing to do, even if created a sickening sensation in his stomach.

“Where are you going?” Sam called after him, grabbing onto his elbow to stop him and Stiles turned to glare at him. 

“I’m not going home but I’m sure as hell not going to stay with you either!” Stiles said, shoving Sam away from him angrily. 

“What!? Why not?” Sam said looking devastated. 

“Why not!? Are you kidding me!? First chance you get you want to send me packing, well, I’ll save you the effort, I’m out of here.” Stiles shouted, feeling like a piece of his heart was being torn away, he didn’t want to leave them, he liked them and he genuinely thought he could be able to help them, that with them he could make a difference, make amends, and they wanted rid of him. 

“Stiles,” Dean sighed in exasperation, “We don’t want to get rid of you. I suggested you go home because it would be safer for you there, but, if you’re not ready to, that’s fine too, you can stay with us as long as you want, we want you here.” Stiles stilled in his tracks, okay, so maybe they did want him around, but, it didn’t change the fact that Stiles attracted monsters, he should still leave.

“I still need to leave.” He admitted defeatedly and both brothers looked at him with panic.

“What? Why?” Dean asked.

“Stiles, Dean’s right, we want you to stay with us. Don’t leave.” Sam added.

“I can’t. It’s not safe.” 

“But going off by yourself is?” Dean spluttered, “You’re safer with people who know what they’re doing, we’ll train you up, teach you what we know. Then, if you still want to leave, okay.” 

“It’s not safe for you.” Stiles amended and both of them fell silent, looking at him like he’d lost his mind, “I, the creatures, I don’t understand it, but, I think, I draw them in somehow. I mean, ever since the possession, since I started using magic, everywhere I’ve gone, something has happened. I went for a walk and the vampires picked me up. I think, I think I’m a magnet for them somehow. Staying with you guys, it isn’t safe for you.” He clarified.

“And you’re working on this theory with what evidence?” Sam said a moment later when he got over his shock.

“The eleven different creatures that have attacked me since I left Beacon Hills?” He replied.

“Maybe you’re safer in Beacon Hills then.” Dean commented and Stiles glared at him.

“Beacon Hills is basically a hell mouth, that’s probably the place where I’m least safe, besides, I think, before, when I didn’t know I had magic, I think I was safe, but now, something has changed about me, and they know, they can like, sense it, or something. I attract them. I know I do.” Stiles admitted. 

“Okay, fine, maybe you do. You think it’s safer to be out there by yourself? Or with two trained hunters who are going to teach you everything they know?” Dean said and Stiles pursed his lips in thought, “Come on kid, I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, but, surely, having us watching your back is better than nobody, right?” 

“I guess so.” Stiles agreed and Dean grinned.

“Good, come on then, let’s get back to the bunker and we can go through those books of yours, see if there’s anything about mages being irresistible to the supernatural.” Dean said easily.

“Dean, we’re supposed to be researching a way to get rid of the mark.” Sam sighed.

“Yeah, well, we haven’t found anything anywhere yet, neither has Cas and I don’t trust Crowley. We should just admit that it’s a lost cause.”

“You’re not a lost cause Dean. We’ll find a way to get rid of it.” Sam argued.

“What mark? What are you on about?” Stiles asked, Dean rolled his eyes, steering them back towards the impala as Sam filled Stiles in on what had been going on in their lives, how Dean had accepted the mark of Cain as a way to kill Abbadon who was a knight of Hell. Except it was having side effects, making him angrier, more volatile, the hunts and kills even giving him pleasure, Stiles felt kind of sick at that thought. Dean was turning into something that reminded Stiles of Gerard, and, more importantly, he was turning into something that he wasn’t. Stiles wouldn’t allow that. 

“…that’s about it. We’ve not found anything yet, but, if we keep searching there may be something we could use.” Sam explained.

“Okay, good, I’ll help you. This is the number one priority now.” Stiles agreed.

“We still need to get you trained up, learn how to fight, how to defend yourself.” Dean replied. 

“Which we can do, but, Dean, this is important too, saving you is important too, right?” Stiles said and Sam nodded firmly. “We can do this, we can find a way, besides, you do know I’m like the king of research, right?” He grinned as both Sam and Dean rolled their eyes at him. 

Stiles was aware of Sam or Dean on the phone to his dad or one of the other pack members at least once a day, he just couldn’t bear to speak to any of them yet, couldn’t bear to hear the guilt in their voices because he knew his dad and the others would blame themselves for what happened, even when it wasn’t their fault. He also knew that he couldn’t go home, no matter how badly he wanted to, Stiles was a monster magnet, if he went home, if something happened to his dad because of that, Stiles would never be able to forgive himself. Talking to his dad would only make him even more desperate to go home and see that he was okay, and that would be the worst thing he could do. 

Dean was fighting the mark with everything he had but Sam and Stiles could both see the effect it was having on him, the fact he was barely sleeping, he’d gone off his food, he was ready to kill at any opportunity. Sam had taken over training Stiles when Dean had gone too far and tried to break his arm, it was only Stiles blasting him backwards with magic that had managed to stop him, that and hitting him a couple of times with his baseball bat, Dean had apologised repeatedly, telling him how sorry he was and that he didn’t mean it, Stiles had reassured him that he was fine, that it was okay, but, it only made Stiles more determined to find an answer, Dean didn’t deserve to be going through this. 

Crowley appeared almost two months after the incident with the vampires, not only did he have the first blade, he also had a lead on Abbadon, he’d handed the blade to Dean who had stood trembling, his hand gripping the blade too tightly and his eyes almost going black, Stiles was terrified and he knew Sam was equally as scared, telling Dean to drop the blade. 

Dean let it go after a few moments, a few moments too long in Stiles’ opinion, and it clattered to the floor, Crowley grinning while Sam wrapped the blade up in a cloth and looked at Dean with worry in his eyes, Crowley noticing Stiles for the first time and looking at him with a smirk while Stiles just glared at him.

“So, are we going to go kill this bitch or not?” Crowley asked and Dean nodded tightly. 

“Wait, hang on a second Dean, we don’t know what holding the blade will do to you, look what it just did to you and that was only a few seconds. We should keep looking for a cure, we’ll figure out a different way to kill Abbadon.” Sam pleaded but Dean shook his head.

“We looked, this is the only way, I’ll kill her, then we can see if we can find a cure.” Dean said simply, Stiles really didn’t like the way that Crowley looked so fucking smug about that, he didn’t trust the guy, although, he guessed, as king of Hell, he wasn’t supposed to be trustworthy.

Dean did manage to kill Abbadon, but it was a close call, Sam and Stiles would be sporting the marks for weeks while they healed, Dean had somehow healed via the blade and that was a little terrifying. Crowley had thanked them before disappearing with the first blade before any of them could stop him, Stiles really didn’t like that guy. 

Stiles wasn’t an idiot, he noticed that Sam was calling the pack more than Dean was, he knew that Dean was losing his fight against the power of the mark and Stiles wasn’t going to allow that to happen, he refused to allow that to happen. Dean was a good man, trying to do right in the world, he wasn’t going to let go of that, not now. Sam kept telling him that his dad loved him, that he wanted him home, that he wanted to speak to him, but Stiles kept putting it off. He didn’t want to deal with all that, he didn’t want to tell his dad that even if Scott could ever forgive him and even if he could be welcomed back with open arms and without looks of disgust, he couldn’t go back there, not if he wanted to keep them safe.

The more Stiles progressed with his magic, the more obvious it became that he was a walking, talking, monster magnet. They barely even had to hunt for the creatures any more, Stiles would walk into the bar where the majority of the victims had disappeared from and by the end of the night he would have attracted the attention of whatever creature they were hunting. It was horrible.


	7. Chapter 7

Sam and Dean refused to allow him to play bait, although, Dean hadn’t argued with him a few times recently which spoke volumes of how much the mark was affecting him, he hadn’t agreed, but, he hadn’t argued. Stiles always talked them around in the end, explaining that he wouldn’t leave their eyesight, that they could stay nearby, that it would make the job a lot easier, on and on, until eventually they’d agree. Stiles didn’t enjoy putting himself at risk, but, he was good at it, and, the more he learned with his magic, the more he progressed, the more powerful he became and he felt more confident, stronger, braver, like nothing in the world could hurt him. That didn’t mean he didn’t get hurt, a lot, but, when he thought back to the scared kid that had left Beacon Hills over six months ago, he could barely recognise himself, he was growing into his power and it felt good, other than the monsters constantly after him. 

He wished he could show the pack, show them how far he had come, how hard he’d worked, but, the idea of facing them, the thought of Derek hating him for what he’d done, how Stiles had basically allowed that demon to rape him, of Scott turning his back on him because Stiles murdered his father, his dad being disappointed because Stiles hadn’t told him that Rafael was the one who shot him, deciding it was more important to keep him safe than tell him the truth, no, he didn’t want to face that. 

Sam was on the phone to Noah, reassuring him again that Stiles was fine, that they were researching and that everything was good, Stiles had also convinced them that his dad really didn’t need to know about every time he got hurt, thankfully, when Stiles found the spell he’d been searching for. 

His mind was racing as he scanned through the page, if this worked it could save Dean, it could also kill Stiles if it failed, but, he glanced up at Dean who was staring at the burger in front of him and looking sick, Stiles made up his mind, it was worth the risk, Dean was worth the risk, but, honestly, if he died, did he never want to speak to his dad again? Never tell him how sorry he was and how much he loved him? 

He stood up slowly, moving towards Sam who stared at him for a moment in confusion.

“…no, Dean’s holding up okay, look, can you hang on one sec?” Sam said, covering the phone and looking at Stiles, “You okay? You’ve gone kind of pale?” 

“Tell him, tell him to put the ringer on silent.” Stiles muttered and Sam stared at him in confusion, “He’ll know what I mean.” Stiles continued before he turned back to the shelves, clutching tightly to the book in his hands and ignoring the way that both Sam and Dean were staring after him as he disappeared into his bedroom. 

“Stiles says to put the ringer on silent? That you’ll know what that means?” Sam said to Noah in confusion.

“Yeah, yeah I do.” Noah said, sounding so relieved that Sam figured it must be good news, “It was something we used to do with his mom, you put the ringer on silent so she didn’t answer it, then when you left a message it would beep at her, she’d pick it up and listen to it, there was less chance of her forgetting things than if she just spoke to us, and, if she did forget, she could listen to the message again. We stopped doing it when her memory got so bad that she didn’t remember listening to the message in the first place, but, god, does that mean, is he going to call? Did he say when he’d call? Tonight? Tomorrow? I should get off the phone in case he’s already trying. God, I can’t wait to hear his voice, I mean, that sounds so pathetic, but, god, everyone will be so excited. Thank you, god, thank you. I can’t tell you what it means to me that you took him in, that you’re looking out for him.” Noah rambled and Sam smiled fondly down the phone. 

He’d grown quite attached to Noah and the rest of the pack in the previous months, he knew Dean felt the same, Noah was smart and loyal and brave, Sam could only assume that that was where Stiles got his personality traits from, and he cared for Noah, he really did, he wanted to take Stiles home every day, he wanted to reunite him with his family who missed him so much, the pack were always asking after him, begging him for photos every day so they could see Stiles for themselves, but, he also knew Dean was right, Stiles wasn’t ready to go home, not yet, and forcing him to would drive him away, they didn’t want to lose Stiles. Not just because his magic had saved them a fair few times, or because he’d saved them without magic a few times too, but, Stiles had grown on them, Sam enjoyed talking to him about something he’d read in one of the books, Dean liked teaching him how to make decent burgers before he lost his appetite, more recently he enjoyed teaching Stiles how to shoot, there was definite room for improvement but Stiles said he’d keep working on it. They enjoyed having him around, it was as simple as that. 

“I’ll let you go then. I’ll speak to you tomorrow.” Sam said, hanging up the phone and looking at Dean who was glaring at the book in front of him and ignoring the burger, “You okay? Want some different food or something?” 

“No.” Dean replied firmly and Sam shrugged, knowing that his brother’s mood swings were getting harder and harder to predict, he hated it, he didn’t know how much longer they had before the mark would overpower him and Sam was helpless to do anything to save him. He knew how Dean had felt when he’d begged Gadreel to save Sam, right now, if it took an angel possessing Dean to save him, then Sam would do it, without a second’s hesitation. 

Stiles didn’t go straight to his bedroom, instead he carried on down the hall to one of the lower rooms that held all kinds of concoctions, he’d been down here a few times previously, when Sam or Dean had needed something for one kind of spell or another. Stiles’ magic didn’t work like that, he didn’t need spell ingredients, he didn’t need to mutter incantations, he just needed to focus and to push what he wanted. The only thing standing between him and full control of his magic was his ability to concentrate, his mind always getting distracted at the most inopportune moment. But, he wasn’t here to use his own magic, although he hoped that using it would make the spell stronger, that his belief that it would work would be the thing to make it work, he was here to get the ingredients to cast a cleansing spell, one that removed all scars, marks and damage from the skin and, more importantly, the soul. 

It was a long shot, he wasn’t sure if it would work, but, the warnings written next to the spell made him think it was dangerous, that nobody would try it unless they were desperate, and, well, Stiles was damn desperate to save Dean, he was willing to try it, no matter what the cost might be. 

Stiles’ survival was going to depend largely on just how much the mark was affecting Dean, if he’d been corrupted too much, if the mark had already gone too far, then Stiles would bleed out before he’d be able to save Dean. He collected the ingredients, reading the spell over and over, it was supposed to be used for the removal of poisons and the healing of grievous wounds, it was almost like it was fate that he found it, they needed the blood of a magic user, apparently the purer the better, Stiles wasn’t exactly sure how pure his blood was, but, he had to believe this would work, they had no other options and they were running out of time before the mark would take over Dean completely. 

He made it back to his room without being spotted and he was glad about that, if Sam saw him there was no way in hell he’d let Stiles do this, in fact, he was pretty sure Dean wasn’t going to let him do it either, probably a good job he’d grabbed some sedative too, now he just had to prepare everything and then figure out how to get Dean in here so he could knock him out and do the spell without Sam finding out. 

He spent the next couple of hours preparing the ingredients, reading each step five times before he followed the instructions, determined to get this right, he had to get it perfect or they had no chance. Finally, long after Sam had gone to bed, Stiles was ready. 

He put two chairs out, getting the restraints ready to keep Dean in place if he woke up during the spell and decided to try and stop it, the mix was sat on the side, ready to be smeared over their hearts when Stiles said the incantation, the tubes and needles were ready for Stiles to do a blood transfusion, all he needed was Dean, and, he also needed to call his dad, because, if this didn’t work, he didn’t want his dad to blame himself, didn’t want him to hate Stiles for never calling him. But, if he called him now then he might realise something was wrong and call Sam or Dean and stop him from doing the spell. Nothing was going to stop him. He clenched his hands into fists, probably to hide the way that they were shaking, slipped the sedative in the syringe into his pocket and headed out of his room down the hall to Dean’s, knocking on the door quietly. 

“What’s up?” Dean said as he answered the door, he didn’t look like he’d been sleeping so Stiles didn’t feel too guilty, but, he looked off, there was no light in his eyes, like the hope was all but gone for him, it made Stiles even more determined to do this, it was the only choice they had, he couldn’t let Dean die, couldn’t lose him to the darkness. 

“Hey, can I borrow you? I’m trying out this new piece of magic and I need a volunteer.” He lied, grateful that none of the pack were here to hear him lying. 

“Right now?” Dean grumbled.

“Yeah, please, it’s important.” Stiles said and Dean huffed but rolled his eyes and left his room, Stiles stepped back and waved him onwards, Dean moving in front of him and heading to his bedroom. Stiles pulled the syringe out, knowing Dean was going to hate him for this, but, he had to do it, it was the only chance they had to save him. 

“What the hell is all this?” Dean grumbled as he walked into Stiles’ room, he saw the two chairs facing each other, one looking to have restraints tied to it, there was a bowl of something on the side, he wasn’t sure what it was but it smelled kind of fresh and light. He started to turn to ask Stiles what this piece of magic involved when he felt a sharp pinch at the back of his neck, he pulled away from it, turning to look at Stiles who was holding an empty syringe with a look of uncertainty on his face. 

Dean took a step back towards the bed before he stumbled slightly, grabbing onto the nearest chair to keep himself upright, he couldn’t help the sting of betrayal he felt, Stiles had tricked him, he’d trusted the kid when usually any magic user they came across would end up dead, and, look what it had gotten him, Stiles was planning on killing him, sacrificing him in some way, Dean was sure of it. 

“I trusted you.” Dean spat angrily as he collapsed into the nearest chair, his legs giving out and his vision starting to fade, “I’ll kill you. I’m going to kill you.”

“I’m sorry.” Stiles muttered, sounding like he truly was on the verge of tears, “I’m so sorry Dean, but, I promise, I promise, this will work.” He moved closer and Dean tried to lash out, tried to keep him away from him, it didn’t work, he was fading fast. 

“You’re dead, you get that? You best start running now because I’m going to kill you.” Dean warned as his eyes slipped closed. 

Stiles felt the guilt flood through him, he knew Dean would be angry at him for sedating him, but he wouldn’t have let Stiles do this otherwise, and it was something he had to do. If Dean had agreed to it, then Stiles would have known he was too far gone for Stiles to be able to save him. This was the only way. He locked the door, knowing that Sam could try and stop them if he heard anything, and returned to study Dean for a second, make sure that he was really unconscious.

He tied the restraints around Dean’s wrists and ankles, making sure that even if he woke up he wouldn’t be able to remove the needle that would allow Stiles’ blood to flow through his system and remove the effects of the mark. He pulled his own shirt off before undoing Dean’s, sitting into his chair and inserting the needle into his arm before inserting the other end of the tube into Dean’s, he smeared the paste over both their hearts and then picked up the book, reading the spell that would hopefully save Dean’s life.

“Purgatrivem, mundat animam, remotionem morbo hoc propositum est: sit sanguis in his venis, sacrifice hanc declarationem de mente mea.” He spoke clearly, glad when the potion on their chests glowed brightly, beginning to move towards where the issue was, that meant it had worked, now he just had to wait for the blood transfusion to start affecting Dean. 

He waited a few minutes, he could see the potion had worked its way to the mark on Dean’s arm and he gritted his teeth when he felt a sharp pain, this was it, it wouldn’t stop now until Dean was healed or Stiles was dead. He pulled his phone out, dialling his dad’s number and biting his bottom lip until it rang through to voicemail. 

“Hey dad, it’s me, Stiles.” Stiles said, shaking his head at his idiocy, “But you already know that, sorry, Sam told you that I asked you to turn the ringer off, I’m kind of glad about that, I know that’s stupid, but, dad, I’m just not ready, not yet, not ready to face you guys, not ready to deal with all of it, I know I should be stronger, I know how disappointed you are that I’m running away, Sam and Dean don’t say that, but, I can see it in their eyes, they both think I should come home, but I can’t and I’m sorry.” He sniffled a little bit, surprised by how light headed he was already feeling, “But, it’s important that you tell Scott and Melissa how sorry I am, I never meant to kill him, I didn’t plan to, and, god, I’m so fucking sorry.” He did sob that time, the guilt flooding through him at how lost Scott must be without his dad, “And, Derek, Jesus, I’m so sorry, I wish I could have stopped him, I should have fought harder, I’m so sorry.” He gasped in pain slightly as the paste over his heart throbbed, glowing brighter as did the matching half on Dean’s arm. “I, um, god, I think I’ve found a way to help Dean.” He confessed knowing it was too late for his dad to warn them now, “Dad, I’m not sure, I don’t know if it’s going to work,” He was tired, so tired, maybe he could just close his eyes for a moment or two, there was another throb of pain and he jerked upwards, unaware that he’d slipped so far in his chair. “Sorry, where was I? Right, yeah, Dean. I think it’s going to work, or, at least, it’s starting to work, I don’t know, I’m sorry, if it doesn’t work, if I don’t…I’m sorry dad. I’m so sorry. I love you. I love you so freaking much. I’m just, I’m really sorry that I don’t want to see you yet, I mean, I do, but, I can’t. I can’t see you. I’m sorry. I know that’ll upset you, if I don’t, and you never got to see me, but, maybe it’s better this way, you know, I don’t know that I’ll, god, fuck that hurts.” Stiles winced as another jolt of pain shot through him, “I know I should probably go, I’m not really making much sense, am I? I’m tired, really tired, but, that’s good I think, it means it’s working dad, I might be able to save him. He needs to live. He’s a good man dad, he deserves to live. If it works, if he lives and I…I mean, just, tell him I tried? Okay? That’s important. He should know that I’m really sorry, but, I knew he wouldn’t agree to it, so I had to, and I’m sorry, it’s not his fault, it’s mine. My choice. It’s not his fault, he needs to know that because I know he’ll blame himself and it’s not his fault, I wanted to do this, I wanted to try and save him, he’s worth saving, he’s a better man than I could ever be, if it comes down to only one of us surviving, I want it to be him. I love you dad. I really love you. I think about what happened all…god, I need to sleep, I think, I’m just going to rest my eyes for a second, okay? Just a minute and then we’ll talk, okay, more like, I’ll talk and you’ll listen to this voicemail and wonder what the hell I’m on about, but, that’s pretty much how we do things anyway, isn’t it? I love you dad. I’m so sorry. Please don’t hate me…” Stiles’ voice faded as he slipped towards unconsciousness, the phone falling from his hand and hitting the carpet at his feet, disconnecting the call with his dad.

Noah had been pacing next to the phone for what felt like hours, Erica and Boyd had been the first to arrive at the house this evening after school, the others had headed to the cinema for a bit of a change, Derek was checking out something in the preserve and Peter had gone to help him. 

Noah didn’t know what he would have done without them in recent months, they’d become his rocks, he knew Stiles needed time, having Sam and Dean filling him on what Stiles was doing, what they were doing, it helped to keep him sane, knowing that Stiles was safe, he was with people who were going to help him, Sam had told all of them about the books that Stiles was reading, the ones all about mages and their powers, their training. It helped put Noah’s mind at ease because Stiles was still the same, researching until he fell asleep where he sat, Dean had provided photographic proof of that on several occasions and Noah always made sure to forward the pictures to the pack, not really surprised to find that all of them seemed to have an album dedicated to Stiles on each of their phones. 

He hated that there was so much his son had hidden from him, that there was so much he should have noticed if he’d just been paying attention instead of burying himself in drink to hide his grief. There was so much he wished he could change but he knew he couldn’t, the only thing he could do was to give his son the space he wanted, that he needed, until he was ready to come home. 

He was so excited to hear that Stiles wanted him to turn the ringer off, he knew what that meant, he’d turned the phone to silent as soon as he’d hung up with Sam and had barely sat down since, desperate to hear the beep of the answering machine. Erica and Boyd had looked at him quizzically for a few moments before they’d headed into the living room to do their homework. He was glad they were werewolves that didn’t seem to mind sharing space, most of the pack slept here most nights, Noah shaking his head fondly when he’d find them all cuddled up next to each other when he was heading out on shift, he wished Stiles could have that, wished he would come home so that he could tell him how proud he was of him, how much he loved him. 

“Alright, seriously, what’s going on? Your heart is going like crazy.” Erica sighed an hour later and Noah grinned.

“Stiles is going to call.” He said happily.

“What?” Erica blurted out looking shocked. “Really?”

“Yeah. He told Sam to tell me to put the ringer on silent, so he wants to talk, even if he doesn’t want me to talk, but, it’s a sign, he’s improving, I know he is, he’s going to come home soon. I know it.” Noah smiled. 

“God, we need to call the pack, they need to be here.” Erica said in excitement, dashing to her phone and sending off a handful of texts. 

Everyone was there within the next hour, waiting hesitantly by the phone, staring at it as if they could will it to start beeping with the force of their minds, needless to say it didn’t seem to be working.

“Did Sam say he was definitely going to call tonight?” Derek asked, looking worried, he was probably the only one as desperate at Noah to hear Stiles’ voice, losing Stiles had hit Derek hard, incredibly hard, it became obvious to all of them just how much their Alpha had loved and cared for Stiles and they’d done everything they could to support him, to make him smile, to make him laugh, although none of them seemed to be as good at it as Stiles. Since Sam and Dean had found Stiles and taken him in, Derek had improved, he could relax slightly knowing that Stiles was being looked after, that they were taking care of him as best they could, even if it sometimes felt like there was something that they weren’t telling them. 

“No, but, I know he will.” Noah insisted. 

Eventually the pack started to drift towards the blankets in the living room, some of them had to be up for school in the morning and they’d still hear it as soon as the answering machine beeped, Derek, Noah, Peter and Scott kept a vigil in the kitchen, Scott arguing that Stiles was more important than his sleep any day of the week. 

Around one in the morning the phone beeped and Noah nearly fell out of his chair in his haste to get to it, barely allowing the rest of the pack to wake up before he was pressing the button.

“Hey dad, it’s me, Stiles.” Stiles’ voice drifted over the phone and Noah let out a little sob of relief, “But you already know that, sorry, Sam told you that I asked you to turn the ringer off, I’m kind of glad about that, I know that’s stupid, but, dad, I’m just not ready, not yet, not ready to face you guys, not ready to deal with all of it, I know I should be stronger, I know how disappointed you are that I’m running away, Sam and Dean don’t say that, but, I can see it in their eyes, they both think I should come home, but I can’t and I’m sorry.” 

Noah grimaced when he sounded like Stiles was about to burst into tears, he wanted to comfort him, hug him, tell him it was okay, and, yet Stiles didn’t want to see him, not yet, that thought made his chest ache painfully but what could he say or do to change Stiles’ mind? Nothing. Stiles would come home when he was ready and Noah would welcome him with open arms, hug him tight and never let him go.

“But, it’s important that you tell Scott and Melissa how sorry I am,” Stiles continued, Scott’s eyes going wide, “I never meant to kill him, I didn’t plan to, and, god, I’m so fucking sorry.” Stiles did sob that time and Scott had tears in his eyes, Allison’s hand in his the only thing seeming to be able to stop him reaching for the phone and trying to comfort Stiles.

“And, Derek,” Derek’s ears perked up, “Jesus, I’m so sorry, I wish I could have stopped him, I should have fought harder, I’m so sorry.” Derek looked like he was in physical pain at Stiles’ words, his gaze turning troubled when Stiles gasped as if he was in pain, “I, um, god, I think I’ve found a way to help Dean.” Stiles continued and the pack all looked to each other in shock, none of them had really believed they would find a way to cure Dean.

“Dad, I’m not sure, I don’t know if it’s going to work,” Stiles’ voice trailed off for a moment and when it came back it sounded weaker, like he was exhausted and in pain, it made Derek think that something was seriously wrong. “Sorry, where was I? Right, yeah, Dean. I think it’s going to work, or, at least, it’s starting to work, I don’t know, I’m sorry, if it doesn’t work, if I don’t…I’m sorry dad. I’m so sorry. I love you. I love you so freaking much. I’m just, I’m really sorry that I don’t want to see you yet, I mean, I do, but, I can’t. I can’t see you. I’m sorry. I know that’ll upset you, if I don’t, and you never got to see me, but, maybe it’s better this way, you know, I don’t know that I’ll, god, fuck that hurts.” The pack were beginning to panic by now, it was evident in all their faces, they were letting Stiles’ recording finish before they spoke but the way they had all paled began to show that they were all thinking along the same lines, something bad was happening to Stiles.

“I know I should probably go, I’m not really making much sense, am I? I’m tired, really tired, but, that’s good, I think, it means it’s working dad, I might be able to save him. He needs to live. He’s a good man dad, he deserves to live. If it works, if he lives and I…I mean, just, tell him I tried? Okay? That’s important. He should know that I’m really sorry, but, I knew he wouldn’t agree to it, so I had to, and I’m sorry, it’s not his fault, it’s mine. My choice. It’s not his fault, he needs to know that because I know he’ll blame himself and it’s not his fault, I wanted to do this, I wanted to try and save him, he’s worth saving, he’s a better man than I could ever be, if it comes down to only one of us surviving, I want it to be him. I love you dad. I really love you. I think about what happened all…god, I need to sleep, I think, I’m just going to rest my eyes for a second, okay? Just a minute and then we’ll talk, okay, more like, I’ll talk and you’ll listen to this voicemail and wonder what the hell I’m on about, but, that’s pretty much how we do things anyway, isn’t it? I love you dad. I’m so sorry. Please don’t hate me…” Stiles’ voice faded away and a moment later the call disconnected, there was instant uproar, Noah didn’t need to be a wolf to smell the panic coming from the pack as they all started to call Sam and Dean’s numbers as they’d never been given Stiles’ new one.

“What’s going on?” “What’s he doing?” “Did that sound like a goodbye to you?” “Do you think he’s dying?” The questions were shouted too loudly and Derek couldn’t concentrate, the idea that Stiles was dying, alone, miles away from them, away from any of them, away from any help, god, Derek needed to get to him. He was aware of the phone ringing in his ear as he waited and prayed for Sam to answer but his mind was still playing Stiles’ voice over and over in his head, how he’d apologised, he’d fucking apologised for what that demon had done, no, it wasn’t right, it wasn’t fair and he couldn’t let that be the last thing that Stiles said to him, he had to tell him that it was okay, that it wasn’t his fault. 

“’lo?” A voice answered groggily.

“Sam! Thank god! Where’s Stiles?” Derek said desperately, a hush falling over the rest of the room as they realised Derek had managed to get through to Sam. 

“What?” Sam mumbled in confusion, “In his room probably?” 

“Sam, you need to go check on him now! He called, said something about finding a way to help Dean! He’s doing something dangerous! Please! Go! Now!” Derek begged, listening to the sounds of Sam scrambling out of bed. 

Sam ran to his bedroom door, yanking it open, not caring that the floor was cold under his feet as he ran towards Stiles’ room, the panic in Derek’s voice told him that whatever Stiles had said had been pretty serious, he could see the door a few feet in front of him when suddenly the whole bunker shook, knocking Sam into the wall and a bright white light appeared under the gap in the door. The shaking stopped a few seconds later and Sam could hear Derek shouting down the phone but that wasn’t his priority right now, getting to Stiles was. 

“Stiles!” He called out, grabbing the door and slamming his shoulder into it when it didn’t open, “Stiles! Open the fucking door!” He screamed, shouting and kicking at it and cursing when it didn’t open, he ran back to his room and grabbed his gun, cursing the time he was wasting because why the hell didn’t he take it with him in the first place!?

“Sam! Tell us what’s going on? What was that noise!?” Noah was talking to him now and Sam didn’t realise that he must have put the phone on speaker at some point, he ignored them, aiming the gun at the doorknob and pulling the trigger quickly, “What the hell was that!? Was that a gunshot!? What’s going on Sam!?” Noah was shouting but Sam was already breaking down the door and staring at the scene in front of him.

“Oh god.” He muttered in horror, rushing forward towards the two of the three people he cared for most in this world, “Dean? Dean can you hear me? Stiles? Stiles, wake up!” Sam panicked, shaking his brother and letting out a sigh of relief when Dean groaned groggily, Sam turned his attention to Stiles, pulling out the tube that was pumping blood from him into Dean and grabbing his face between his hands, “Stiles? Stiles, can you hear me? Come on, wake up, come on.” He said, feeling for a pulse, his hands shaking too much to be able to feel one, “Don’t do this to me, come on Stiles, come on.” He begged, Stiles’ chest wasn’t moving, he wasn’t breathing, Sam thought he was going to be sick. He lowered Stiles out of the chair and onto the floor, tilting his head backwards and starting CPR. 

“Sam’y?” Dean’s voice echoed around the room, the pack having gone silent on the other end of the phone, Dean blinked blearily, trying to figure out why he was in Stiles’ room and why he was tied to a chair, and then, god, “Stiles!” Dean cried out in terror, “Sammy, untie me, untie me, let me help!” Dean said, struggling against the bindings holding him in place. 

“Is he alive!? Please, tell me he’s alive?” Noah begged as Dean struggled against the ropes, Sam stopped the CPR to cut Dean free, freezing for a moment and grabbing his arm, the mark wasn’t there anymore. 

“It worked.” Sam mumbled shocked while Dean stared at his bare arm and then at Stiles, as if unable to comprehend that Stiles had somehow done this. He moved quickly, forcing Sam to let go of his arm and moving to Stiles, focusing on saving him, they had to save him, Stiles couldn’t die saving Dean’s life, not when Dean had believed Stiles had been trying to kill him, not when his last words to him had been that Dean was going to kill him. 

“Is Stiles alive? Please!” Noah practically screamed down the phone as Dean began chest compressions and Sam blew air into his lungs. 

“Come on Stiles!” Dean begged, worried about breaking his ribs with the force in which he pressed down, “Don’t do this! You don’t get to do this! Cas! Cas! Help us!” Dean screamed, tears running down his cheeks as he stared at the boy in front of him, Stiles couldn’t die, he couldn’t. 

Castiel appeared a moment later, taking in the scene in front of him before resting two of his fingers against Stiles’ chest and Stiles coughed and spluttered in to life, still unconscious but at least he was breathing.

“Thank you, thank you.” Dean muttered, pulling Stiles up into a hug and holding him tightly, “He’s alive, Noah, he’s alive.” Dean said and he heard the sobs of relief down the other end of the phone as Sam clung tightly to Stiles’ other side. 

“What happened?” Cas asked.

“That’s what I want to know.” Noah said sounding angry, “You’re supposed to be keeping an eye on him and he nearly dies on your watch!”

“In all fairness, he nearly died on our watch a boatload of times too.” Isaac muttered and Sam let out a choked out laugh, rubbing Dean and Stiles’ back reassuringly. 

“He’s lost a lot of blood.” Cas commented and they looked at the way Stiles was too pale, how he still looked too close to death for their liking.

“Dean? What happened?” Sam asked, taking his arm again and studying the unmarked skin, Cas staring with wide eyes, meeting Dean’s eyes and looking at him with sheer relief, Dean averted his gaze after a moment, hoping nobody noticed the slight blush on his cheeks.

“I don’t know. Stiles came to my room, said he had some new magic he wanted to practice and he needed a guinea pig. I walked in and the chairs were there and the ropes, I turned to ask him what was going on and he injected me with something.” Dean confessed, “I thought he was going to kill me or something, I told him I’d kill him, I told him to run because when I got out of this I would kill him. God, and, I didn’t know, I didn’t know he was planning this.” Dean rambled, gesturing to the room at large. 

“He removed the mark? Completely? How do you feel?” Cas asked, reaching out to touch Dean’s forehead and Dean stared at him. 

“I feel fine.” 

“Not wanting to go on a murderous rampage?” Sam quizzed and Dean rolled his eyes, finally breaking eye contact with Cas.

“No, I feel, I feel good.” He admitted, “Better, better than I have in years, since before dad died.” He muttered and Sam stared at him in shock. “I don’t know what he did, but I don’t think it removed just the mark, I feel, hopeful?” Dean muttered, staring at the still unconscious Stiles with awe. 

Sam picked Stiles up and between them they carried him to the bed, Sam picking up the book that was lying at the foot of the bed, studying it with wide eyes. 

“It’s a cleansing spell, it says it needs the blood of a magic user for it to work.” Sam mumbled, reading the book while Dean touched Stiles’ forehead and then turned his attention to his chest, to the anti-possession tattoo above his heart, the paste that covered it but not completely and that still had a faint shimmer to it, to the small initial ‘RM’ that was just below the tattoo, not to mention various scars that littered his chest and stomach, Stiles had been through hell and had nearly died trying to save Dean’s life, he’d never be able to thank him enough.

“Where are you guys? Give us the bunkers location, we’re coming to you.” Noah demanded and Sam frowned.

“I don’t know that that’s a good idea.” He replied, practically able to see Noah’s anger down the phone.

“Are you seriously trying to keep me from my son!? You can’t do that! Tell me where you are!” 

“Noah, calm down.” Dean said calmly, “We’re not trying to keep you from Stiles, you know that, we’re trying to keep him safe…”

“Yeah and look how that turned out! He could have died tonight!” Noah shouted.

“Noah, I understand you’re upset, I’m upset too, beyond upset, I can’t believe he’s done this, I can’t believe he risked his life to try and save mine, but Stiles isn’t ready to see you, you know he’s not, and forcing him into it, forcing this right now, it won’t end well, I know you want to see him, I know you want to hug him and tell him it’s going to okay, but, he’s not ready. He’s not.” Dean insisted and Noah went silent. 

“We’ll wait.” Derek replied a few moments later, “But we’re staying on the phone, until he wakes up, until we hear he’s okay.” He demanded and Dean nodded.

“Yeah, okay, that’s fine, stay and listen as long as you like.” He said, beginning to clean up the mess that the spell had created, his fingers constantly running over the smooth skin of his arm. “I can’t believe it’s gone, that it’s over.” He mumbled. 

“This spell is dangerous…” Sam muttered and there were several groans of exasperation.

“No shit sherlock.” Jackson drawled.

“No, I mean, once it started there were only two options, it worked or Stiles died, there’s no in between.” Sam explained and Dean looked stricken, “I can’t believe he did something so stupid without telling us!”

“Welcome to the club.” Noah muttered.

“But it worked.” Castiel said, “I know it was dangerous, but it worked, you’re cured, the mark is gone.” 

“Which is great, but, I never would have asked him to do this, my life isn’t worth his.” Dean explained. “He should never have even attempted this, there should have been another way.” 

“Stiles is stubborn.” Scott commented, “If he thought there was a way to save you he would have done it, no matter what you said, that’s obviously why he drugged you, because otherwise you would have stopped him.” 

“That doesn’t make this okay.” Dean argued, “He could have died, hell, he nearly died, because of me!” 

“This wasn’t your fault Dean.” Sam said quietly.

“If I had never taken the stupid mark to begin with…”

“Then we wouldn’t have been able to kill Abbadon. Dean, this was not your fault. Stiles made the choice to do the spell. It was his decision. It was a damn stupid decision. But, he made the choice, not you.” Sam argued.

“He’s right Dean.” Peter said, “He said it himself, on his voicemail, it’s not your fault, it was Stiles’ decision, he chose this. It was stupid and reckless but it was his choice. Not yours.”

Dean was stopped from replying by a low groan that silenced everyone in the room, Stiles was waking up. 

“Stiles?” Sam asked quickly, dropping the book and moving back to the bed, “Stiles, can you hear me? Stiles? It’s Sam, are you okay?” Sam touched Stiles’ shoulder gently, shaking him ever so slightly to try and wake him. 

“N’t de’d?” Stiles grumbled quietly and Sam let out a shaky laugh. 

“No Stiles, no, you’re okay, you’re alive.” 

“De’n?” Stiles asked.

“Right here kiddo.” Dean replied, moving to the other side of Stiles and resting a hand on his head, “I’m right here.” 

“You okay?” Stiles mumbled, blinking open his eyes and turning to look at Dean.

“I’m fine kid, I’m good, all cured, thanks to you.” Dean said, showing his bare arm to Stiles who grabbed it and stared at it in wonder. 

“It worked?” He asked, blinking a few more times as he started to wake up properly.

“Yeah, it worked Stiles, it worked.” Dean reassured him and Stiles let out a sob of pure relief, pulling Dean into a tight hug.

“I’m sorry, god, I’m so sorry, I didn’t want to drug you, you have to know that, but, I had to, I know you wouldn’t have agreed to it otherwise.” He mumbled into Dean’s ear. 

“I know Stiles, I know, you were trying to do the right thing. Damn stupid thing to do and if you ever pull anything like this again I’ll kill you, but, still, thank you.” Dean replied, tears in his own eyes and he clung tightly to Stiles, there was silence for a few minutes before Stiles pulled away, swiping at the tears on his cheeks to try and remove the evidence. 

“I should probably call and leave dad another message, let him know that I’m not dead.” Stiles mumbled.

“I already know Stiles.” Noah said over the phone and Stiles paled, looking at the phone and then Sam, Dean and Cas in horror, his chest starting to constrict.

“No, no, no, no, I can’t, no…” Stiles started to mutter, he couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t deal with this, he couldn’t, he didn’t, no, no.

“Stiles, it’s okay, just breathe.” Sam reassured him, rubbing Stiles’ back in an attempt to soothe him. 

“No, I can’t, I don’t, I’m sorry…” Stiles gasped, the words coming out pained and filled with fear. 

“Stiles, I’m sorry, I’m going to hang up, okay? You call when you’re ready and I’ll leave the ringer off, that sound good kid?” Noah said sounding just as upset as Stiles was. 

“I’m sorry.” Stiles muttered, his chest heaving and fresh tears filling his eyes. 

“No, it’s fine Stiles, it’s fine.” Noah said, “I love you kid, I love you.” Noah said with a finality before he hung up the phone and Stiles burst into fresh sobs, leaning against Sam who wrapped an arm around his shoulder until he finally calmed down. 

“I’m sorry.” Stiles repeated when he got his breath back, swiping again at his cheeks. 

“There’s nothing to be sorry for Stiles, you didn’t do anything wrong.” Sam said. 

“I can’t…I couldn’t even….my dad…I need to call and apologise.” Stiles stammered eventually and Dean, Sam and Cas looked at him uncertainly. 

“Stiles, we’ll support you no matter what you want to do, but if you’re not ready, we’re not going to force you.” Sam said. 

“Your family doesn’t blame you kid, none of them do, not for any of it, you should give them the chance to tell you that themselves.” Dean whispered and Stiles tensed.

“I want to, but, I just, I can’t, I can’t talk to them, I can’t face that, I can’t face them.” Stiles said, “I want to talk to them, I want to tell them how much I love them, I want to go home and spend time with them and wake up in my own bed and spend classes passing notes to Scott and god, I miss them, so fucking much, but I can’t, I can’t deal with everything, I can’t, and I hate that I’m weak, I hate that I’m not strong enough to face them, not yet, but, I can’t.” He explained.

“You’re not weak Stiles, you’re one of the strongest people we know. Just because you aren’t ready to deal with everything, that doesn’t make you weak Stiles. You went through hell Stiles, not just being possessed, before that, what Rafael did,” Sam said, noticing the way Stiles flinched at his name but continuing on regardless, knowing he needed to get this straight in Stiles’ head, “What he did to you Stiles, that was wrong, he deserved worse than what he got, he deserved to die slowly and painfully, and he didn’t. But, what I’m trying to say, is that it’s okay, it’s okay that you’re not okay. If I went through what you went through I’d need counselling, I’d need help to realise that it wasn’t my fault, if you want, maybe that’s something that we could look in to getting for you?” Sam suggested.

“I don’t need counselling.” Stiles replied, “I just need, I need time, that’s all I need, I’m working through it, I swear I am, but I need time.” 

“Okay, well we can give you that.” Dean commented, “But, I think you do need to call your dad back, let him hear properly that you’re alive and okay and not going to do anything so stupid again.” He raised an eyebrow and Stiles grinned sheepishly at him.

“Okay.” Stiles nodded, not knowing how to feel, because, by some miracle the spell worked and Dean was healed, but, Stiles nearly died, and, okay, he wasn’t dead, but, his head was spinning like crazy and the fact Cas was here made him think it must have been a pretty close thing. He waited until Dean offered to cook them all burgers, for Sam and Cas to follow after him, Sam handing him his phone with a serious look, before he dialled his dad’s number again.

“I’m sorry.” He said as soon as the answering machine kicked in, “I didn’t mean to scare you like that, I didn’t think it was going to kick in so fast, I thought I’d be able to explain easily, say goodbye without panicking you. You know, in case I didn’t survive, I would have been able to say goodbye. Obviously, that didn’t work. I should kind of expect that by now, things not going how I plan.” He shook his head in exasperation, “God, dad, if you knew about half the times my plans have just gone to hell, well, I probably shouldn’t say that, it’ll make you worry more, but, don’t. I mean, I know you do, but, try not to, okay? I’m doing okay, I’m alive, I’m…” He paused, taking a deep breath, “I’m trying to be stronger, I’m trying to be braver, I’m trying to make you proud of me. I know what I did was wrong, god, so fucking wrong, and, I’ll never be able to forgive myself for that. I should never have taken Scott’s dad away from him like that, not when I’d tried so hard to let them have a relationship. I know you’ll tell me it was wrong, but, I know what it’s like to lose a parent, I know what it’s like to want to turn around to tell them something and then they aren’t there, and, I couldn’t do that to Scott. I just couldn’t. Except, in the end, I did. And I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. But, that won’t ever make up for it, I don’t know how he’ll ever forgive me, not really, he might say it, but, honestly, truly, deeply, forgive me? No. He can’t. I wouldn’t if I was in his situation. Anyway, I’m getting off track a bit, I guess, I just wanted to let you know I’m still alive, and, I love you, I’m sorry about the panic attack, I just, I didn’t realise you could hear me, and, I’m just, I know it’s pathetic, I know I’m pathetic, but, I can’t face it yet, I can’t deal with the disappointment and the hatred and the guilt and the blame and, god, all of it, I can’t face it. I’m sorry dad, I really am, I promise I’m trying. I’m trying to be a better person, I’m trying to be someone you’d be proud of. I love you. I’ll call again soon.” He promised before he ended the call, feeling oddly better than he had in months.

He was a bit unsteady on his feet as he made his way to the kitchen, he could hear Dean laughing as he approached and he felt a small smile on his lips, he’d done that, he’d helped him, he’d cured him, it was something he really could be proud of.

“How are you feeling?” Sam asked as soon as he appeared and made his way a little unsteadily into the nearest chair.

“Okay, a little light headed, but, okay.” He replied, taking a sip of coffee from the mug Dean had put down in front of him, “I called my dad.” He muttered and Dean nodded.

“We know. He text me, he says to tell you he’s already proud of you and that you don’t need to ever worry about that, he’s really proud of you Stiles, you don’t need to prove anything to him.” Dean said, showing Stiles the text on his phone. “I think he’d like you to call again.” 

“I will do.” Stiles agreed. “In a few days, let him know I’m doing okay.”

“I think he would love that.” Sam commented, sliding his phone across to Stiles and showing him the text that Scott had sent him.

‘Tell him I forgive him, I really do, tell him to come home and I’ll tell him to his face. Tell him I love him and I miss him and I want him to stay safe and come home when he’s ready.’ Stiles read the text from Scott and felt the tears well up in his eyes, he missed him, god he missed him, missed them all, so much, but he couldn’t go home.

After that night Stiles started calling at least once a week, leaving his dad a message, sometimes apologising, trying to make sense of everything that had happened, trying to explain why he’d had to keep it secret in order to protect them, other times he told his dad about the hunt they were on, what they were looking for this time, or the most recent bit of magic he’d learned, or something interesting that he’d read in one of the books, it was easier talking to a machine than it was to talk to his dad, he knew that was messed up, that he was messed up, but, this way, this way was easier. 

“Dude, look what I found!” Dean said excitedly, slamming a book down in front of Stiles who stared at it in befuddlement.

“What is it?” He asked, flipping to the first page.

“It’s a book on runes, apparently mages used to use them in an attempt to amplify their powers.” Dean grinned, flipping the pages until several dark spirals were showing, “This one is one they used to help their concentration, maybe you could give it a go?” 

“What do I do? Draw it?” Stiles asked slowly, his eyes darting over the page even as he replied to Dean.

“Well, I’ll draw it on for you, it says it works best at the top of your spine.” Dean replied, showing Stiles a small pen he held in his hand, Stiles rubbed the back of his neck uncertainly, his fingers tracing the Lichtenberg scar that ran up his neck and part way down his spine, it was slightly raised and shone silver in the light, a constant reminder of what he had suffered to exorcise Gusion. 

“I, um, yeah, I guess.” Stiles said, pulling his shirt collar down enough to give Dean access to the top of his spine. He tried not to flinch when he felt Dean’s hands brush against his skin, Dean studied the drawing, trying to get it exactly correct, it took him a few minutes and then he pulled away.

“All done, how do you feel?” He asked and Stiles frowned, he felt, he wasn’t sure, he felt settled? Was that the right word? He could feel his magic, it felt like a physical weight in his chest, he could feel it ebbing and flowing, pulsing happily, waiting for it to do whatever he commanded, he felt calm and in control and capable of doing anything he set his mind to, “Alright, yeah, that’s coming off.” Dean said, wetting the corner of his t-shirt and rubbing the back of Stiles’ neck quickly.

“What are you doing!?” Stiles asked in shock.

“You mean other than the fact that you zoned out for five minutes? Or the fact your eyes were glowing?” Dean replied and Stiles stared at him in surprise.

“What!?” 

“Yeah, glowing eyes, looked like one of the pack right then, actually, you looked like Derek, his eyes glow red too, right?” Dean said and Stiles nodded numbly.

“Can you…draw it again please, I just want to check something.” Stiles said and Dean stared at him for a moment before sighing and starting to draw the rune again.

“What are you doing?” Sam wandered in looking at the two of them with bemusement. 

“Runes.” Dean said simply, finishing the drawing and stepping away, “Stiles?” He asked and Stiles looked up at him, Sam dropping the book he was holding and his stance shifting slightly as if he was preparing to be attacked.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it this time.” Stiles said, allowing his eyes to fade from red back to their normal amber, grinning when he felt his magic respond, “It works, wow, it works, like, I can actually feel my magic, like, it’s right here.” He said pressing to his chest, and feeling his magic almost purr with happiness, “God, it’s happy, it’s so happy, and so pure and light and wow, just, oh my god.” He felt like bursting into tears, he felt loved, he felt so goddamn loved it made his chest ache. 

“Runes!?” Sam said incredulously when Stiles refused to allow Dean to remove the mark again, “So it works? You don’t feel any side effects? No desire to blow stuff up?” Stiles laughed shaking his head.

“No, I feel, I feel in control, I feel powerful but I feel, I don’t know, I feel good. Better than I have since I found out about all this magic crap.” Stiles explained. “What else is in here?” He said, snatching the book from the table and flipping the pages. 

“Alright, slow down, before you go drawing runes all over yourself, how about we leave this one a few days? See if you have any side effects and then we can add another one, maybe.” Dean said, sounding like the responsible adult for the first time in a while. 

“Spoilsport.” Stiles muttered under his breath.

It turns out he did get to use another one a few days later, mainly because they’d gone on a hunt for a wendigo and the only way Stiles could get the serious bleeding to stop was to try drawing a healing rune in the middle of his chest, thankfully it seemed to work. Although he’d really struggled considering the wendigo had sliced across his back and damaged the pen mark that had already been fading, Stiles was seriously going to find a way to make it permanent, and maybe get the healing one made permanent too because honestly, watching his skin stich back together in front of his very eyes was kind of cool, although the rune disappeared completely from his skin the moment he was healed which was a little annoying. 

“Sammy!” Dean cried out, grabbing his brother and checking him over, trying to figure out where the blood was coming from, “You’re okay, you’re okay, I’ve got you.” 

“It’s alright, I’m okay. It went for Stiles first.” Sam grimaced, giving Dean a quick squeeze of reassurance, “But, we’re okay, the healing rune worked.” He added as an explanation and Dean stared at Stiles in amazement. 

“It worked? You’re okay?” Dean asked, running his hand across Stiles’ bare skin and wiping away what was left of the blood. 

“Yeah, a little freaked out why you’re still touching me, but, I’m good.” Stiles teased and Dean pulled him into a quick hug, evidently oblivious to, or not caring, about the blood he was getting all over his clothes, “Too tight dude, crushing a lung.” Stiles joked and Dean let go of him.

“Don’t you dare do that to me again! I go out to grab us some coffee and come back and the motel room is trashed and you’re both gone!” Dean said angrily.

“Yeah, sorry, I think it must have got a whiff of me or something.” Stiles muttered darkly, “Caught us by surprise.” 

“Right, we’re stepping up the training, you’re going to have to get better with guns.” Dean said determinedly. 

“I don’t like the guns Dean; can’t I stick to the hand to hand stuff? I’m getting better at that, or, even the knives, I’m getting better with them too and you know that I kick ass with my bat.” Stiles whined and Dean glared at him, okay, it was true, Stiles was talented with his baseball bat, they’d got a heavy metal one that pretty much knocked down anything in its path, and Stiles wielded it very well, but, still, Dean would be happier if he trained with the guns too.

“Guns are your best friend Stiles, they mean you don’t have to get up close and personal and there’s less chance of you getting gutted.” He said in annoyance but it was evident it was only because he was worried about Stiles. 

“And the second priority has to be how to get you to stop putting out whatever it is that’s attracting these things.” Sam added and Dean raised an eyebrow, “It went straight for Stiles, bypassed me completely, I think the only reason it even kidnapped me was because I tried to stop it from taking Stiles. I don’t know if it’s your magic or scent or what, but, we have to figure out a way to stop it.” 

“I am in complete agreement with you on that one, I’d really like to take the target off my back if at all possible.” Stiles nodded. 

He didn’t tell them that he was going to get the control rune tattooed permanently, he’d spotted the shop while he was on a supply run and gone in, getting the rune inked into his skin, the tattooist commenting on his Lichtenberg scar a few times before Stiles glared at him and he went quiet, finishing the tattoo in silence. It was more powerful like this, more powerful than pen on his skin, it felt deeper, stronger, almost overwhelming, like his magic was a physical thing that he could touch if he tried. He had scrunched up his eyes and taken a few steadying breaths, making sure that his eyes didn’t start glowing red when he handed the money across to the guy and then left.

“What did you do!?” Dean said in annoyance when Stiles arrived home. 

“What? I didn’t do anything?” Stiles tried to lie. 

“Don’t try and kid a kidder kid! Somethings different about you…” Dean said, his voice trailing off as Stiles grimaced, pulling his shirt collar slightly so he could see the tattoo. “Right. And, it’s working? You’re okay?” 

“Better than okay, honestly, it feels incredible.” Stiles grinned. 

“You’re telling your dad.” Sam commented from where he was sat at the table and Stiles nodded, he’d figured that, he just maybe didn’t agree on when he was going to tell his dad.

“Sure, anyway, I feel pretty awesome right now, so, let’s put it to use, what are we looking for this time?” He asked, pulling Sam’s laptop around so he could see the screen, “Metatron? You think you’ve got a lead on him?” 

“Yeah, but, it doesn’t matter, he’s got the power of the angel tablet behind him, there’s no way we can take him out.” Sam said sadly. 

“Yeah, but, you’ve got the power of a mage on your side, I mean, okay, I’m still learning, but, I can give it a go, if he dies, the gates to Heaven reopen, right? The souls that are trapped right now get to go live in peace and all that?” Stiles said and Sam looked at Dean who shrugged.

“We think so, but, there’s no knowing for definite, besides, Stiles, you can’t go up against Metatron, you’ll lose.” Dean replied.

“I won’t be going up against him alone though, I’ll have you and Cas and Sam, plus, I may have a trick or two up my sleeve that’ll knock him on his ass.” Stiles grinned, moving around to grab the book he’d been reading before he’d headed out to the store. “Anyway, mages, they’re supposed to be like, peacekeepers, supernatural enforcement and all that, it’s my responsibility to take care of Metatron, I might be the only one that can do it.” 

“Cas did say that he had the equivalent power of an archangel?” Sam suggested and Dean frowned.

“I still don’t like it.” He replied. 

“I know, but, here, let me explain…” Stiles said, showing them the book and beginning to outline his plan. 

They spent the next few hours arguing over the logistics of how this was going to work, Dean and Sam were going to have to distract Metatron while Cas destroyed the angel tablet and Stiles snuck up on him. It wasn’t the best plan, but, Stiles planned to have a little extra help, if he could get Sam and Dean to agree of course.

“You’re kidding me!? You think your dad is going to be okay with this?” Dean grumbled.

“It’s my body. My choice. Besides, don’t you understand? I feel so much more powerful, so much more in control than I did when it was drawn on with a pen, it makes sense to do this. I just have to figure out a way to stop the healing one healing all the others up.” Stiles said. 

“There’s a piece in here about activating the healing rune…” Sam began pointing to one of the books he was using.

“Sammy! Don’t help him! This is ridiculous! Idiotic!” Dean complained.

“Dean, come on, it’s the only chance we have of beating him.” Stiles replied, already getting distracted by the book Sam was showing him, it looked like he’d have to redirect his magic, stop it from touching that rune until it was necessary, he pursed his lips, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck and then snatched up a pen. He drew the healing rune quickly on his bare skin and then before they could stop him, sliced his palm with a knife.

“What the hell Stiles!?” Sam said, grabbing a cloth and going to stop the bleeding, it wasn’t necessary, the rune had kicked in and healed his hand before it vanished from his skin, he cursed, that wasn’t what he wanted to happen. He drew the rune again, concentrating on the feel of his magic in his chest, forced it away from the rune on his skin and then sliced his hand again.

“Are you insane!?” Dean shouted and Stiles grinned when the cut stayed there. 

“Got it!” Stiles smiled before he winced, “Also, ow, that really fucking hurts!” He said, sighing and allowing his magic to touch the rune again, he healed almost instantly but, before the rune had the chance to disappear again, he stopped the flow of magic, smiling proudly when he saw the mark had remained on his skin. “Alright, so, I’ve figured out how to solve that issue, now, we need to figure out which runes are going to be the best against Metatron and where they need placing.” Stiles said and Sam and Dean stared at him like he’d lost his mind.

“Stiles, they’ll be there permanently, there won’t be any getting rid of them, once Metatron is defeated, if we beat him, you’ll still have the runes.” Sam said uncertainly.

“And the issue is?” He sighed, “Look, the control rune helps, the healing rune saved my life, and, yeah, okay, maybe it’s not something that my dad will approve of, but, they could help us defeat Metatron and that’s worth it, besides, they might come in handy after this is over too, you know, having control is great, having that focus, that feeling of my magic, it feels right, and, healing, you know, not bleeding out repeatedly, also helpful, so, yeah, I’m doing it, no matter what, I’d just appreciate your advice on what you think I need.” Stiles explained, leaving no room for any arguments, Sam and Dean looked at each other, knowing there was no way to dissuade him before Sam flipped through the book.

“Stealth would be a good one, if you’re planning on sneaking up on him, that one goes on the side of your ankle.” 

“Okay.” Stiles nodded, making a note of it.

“Strength would be a good one too, not just for Metatron, but, even afterwards, it goes on your inner wrist.” Dean added.

“Great, what else?” Stiles grinned. By the time they were done they had a list of twenty different runes that would be tattooed in various places across Stiles’ body, he was a little nervous but he knew it was the right thing to do, it would help them defeat Metatron, he had to believe that. Dean and Sam came with him to the tattoo parlour this time, insisting that they had to make sure the runes were correct and if maybe they held his hand at certain points when it really kind of hurt, well, Stiles wasn’t going to tell anyone. 

By the following evening they were ready to go, Stiles had spent the day practicing control with his runes, amazed by the fact he could cut off his magic to one or all of them if he chose to, so that he wasn’t always super strong and therefore less likely to break another door just by knocking, it was an accident! He was nervous, going up against Metatron was dangerous, and, although Stiles felt a lot more powerful than he had done before, he still wasn’t sure if he was going to be strong enough to stop him. 

He called his dad on the way, leaving him a voicemail as had become custom, trying to make sure he didn’t worry him without lying to him.

“Hey dad, just checking in, we’re just heading out to run down a lead we might have on Metatron, I know you know all about him already, Sam told me he told you. It might be nothing, probably won’t be anything, but, I wanted to check in anyway, let you know I’m doing okay, we all are.” He paused, taking a deep breath. “Thank you. I don’t think I’ve ever said that, but, thank you. Thank you for giving me time, giving me space, giving me the chance to process everything, I know you had a lot to process too, I’m sorry for never telling you dad, I wished I had, I wanted to, god, I wanted to so badly, but, I didn’t know how, and then Rap…then you got shot and I couldn’t, I couldn’t risk losing you too, and, then, after, once he’d gone, I wasn’t sure, I didn’t know, I was scared he might come back, kill you anyway, or, worse, that you might not believe me. I’m sorry dad, I really am. I’m sorry for lying to you all the time, I only did it because I wanted you to be safe, I know that’s not always the right thing to do, but, I want to protect you. I want to keep you safe. I want to keep Scott safe. And, then, instead, I do the worst possible thing to him. I’m sorry Scotty, I know you’re probably listening to this one too, I’m sorry, you have to know that, I didn’t want to kill him, I didn’t plan to kill him, it just, god, it sounds pathetic, doesn’t it? Saying it just happened? But, it did. I didn’t plan it, I didn’t think it through, I just, I couldn’t go back to being Gusion’s puppet and I couldn’t go back to being Raph…to being his…to being anything to him. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” He paused, taking a moment to get his breathing under control, “I’m getting side tracked again, you’d think I’d be better at that by now, huh? Well, no, same old me, still unable to just say what I want to without going off on a tangent.” He let out a little laugh and then saw Dean waving to him cross the car park.

“I better go, Dean’s calling me, we’re going after him dad, we’re going to find him and stop him if we can. We’ll all look out for each other, I swear we will, they’re like the annoying big brothers that I never really wanted but now I can’t seem to get rid of and probably wouldn’t want to if I could,” He grinned to himself, “I’ll keep them safe dad. I love you. I’ll call you when we’re done.” He hung up the call and shook his head at his idiocy, after this, if they survived, no, they were going to survive, Stiles wouldn’t allow any other alternative, he was going to call his dad and tell him to turn the ringer on, he was going to call him and speak to him and not have a complete breakdown at the thought of it. 

Cas had found a way to sneak into Heaven with Gadreel and between them they were going to destroy the angel tablet that was giving Metatron his strength, without it Stiles would be able to take him out easily, or that’s how the plan was supposed to go, Stiles felt like his whole body was almost shaking with adrenaline, they were going to do this, they were going to kill Metatron and save Heaven, they had to. 

The fight didn’t go how they’d planned, which he guessed shouldn’t exactly have surprised him, the main fact was that Cas seemed to have failed, Metatron was definitely still powered up on tablet juice, which meant that he threw both Winchester’s into the nearest wall without a second glance and then rounded on Stiles. 

The next ten minutes were probably the worst of his life, he’d done his best to fight Metatron, even getting the guy to stumble a few times and spill a few drops of blood, but, Stiles, well, he was in a bad way, he could feel his magic dwindling as his healing rune constantly tried to heal him from the latest injury, at first it had been great, jumping back up after Metatron had thrown him into the metal staircase had definitely surprised the angel, but, Stiles was running out of magic and Metatron didn’t even seemed phased. 

He’d pulled out an angel blade and was standing over Stiles with a wicked grin on his face, Sam and Dean both struggling back to their feet and running towards them but Stiles knew they weren’t going to make it in time, he was certain that this was the point in time when he died. He scrunched his eyes shut, feeling helpless and knowing there was nothing else he could do when there was the sound of a blade slicing through flesh and a pained grunt, except, Stiles didn’t feel any pain.

“Dean!” He heard Sam cry out in horror and Stiles opened his eyes, staring in horror at the blade that had been plunged into Dean’s chest so far that it was coming out the other side and Metatron who was grinning widely at him as he pulled the knife out.

“No!” Stiles screamed in denial, blasting Metatron backwards with a wave of power and then catching hold of Dean before he fell to the floor, Sam at his other side a moment later, all of them too caught up in Dean to notice as Metatron vanished from the spot, obviously shaken by Stiles’ display of power. 

“Dean! Oh god, oh god, it’s going to be okay.” Sam said, applying pressure to the wound and staring at his older brother with terrified eyes.

“Hey Sammy, it’s okay.” Dean said, coughing up blood, and looking oddly at peace, “Look, I, you should know, I’m proud of us, all of us.” He gripped Stiles’ shoulder just as tightly as he was holding Sam’s and smiled sadly, “I’m proud.” He said before his eyes dropped closed.

“No! No! No, you don’t get to do this!” Stiles shouted while Sam stared at his brother with tears spilling down his cheeks, his hands still pressing uselessly on the wound. “Dean! God damnit!” Stiles shouted, fists clenching up in frustration and terror. He couldn’t lose Dean, not now, he didn’t go through nearly dying to get rid of the mark to lose Dean anyway. He gathered all the magic he had left, his eyes glowing bright red as he tightened his grip on his magic, as if it was a physical thing that he held between his palms and thrust it outwards with no other intention than saving Dean. He saw Dean gasp in pain and then everything went black. 

“Dean!” Sam was crying, holding his brother and begging him to wake up, knowing there was nothing he could do, calling for Cas would have no effect, he was out of contact while he was in Heaven, they all knew that, there was nothing they could do, they wouldn’t get to a hospital in time, they were helpless, Dean was going to die. “Please! Dean, wake up! Please!” He sobbed, wishing that there was an angel around who could heal Dean, who could save him, Sam was so caught up in his oncoming grief that he barely even noticed Stiles next to him until there was a sudden blast that knocked him away from Dean. 

Dean sat up gasping for breath, clutching at his chest, the pain that had been in his chest was gone, he scrabbled at his shirt, pulling it away and finding freshly healed skin beneath his fingertips, he stared at it in shock, before he looked up seeing Sam on his hands and knees a meter away from him and staring at him in shock, as if unable to believe that he was alive, their gazes both went to Stiles simultaneously, Stiles who was lying on the floor near Dean, his eyes closed, he was covered in blood, cuts and bruises from his fight with Metatron and he wasn’t moving. 

“Stiles!” Sam and Dean shouted in unison, scrambling towards him, Sam immediately checking his pulse and relaxing it when he could feel it strong and steady under his fingertips. 

“He’s alive.” Sam sighed in relief, “Stiles? Stiles can you hear me?” Sam asked, rolling Stiles onto his back and checking his breathing, “I think he’s okay, just unconscious.” He started to say, both of them freezing when a black wolf appeared at Stiles’ side, snarling at both of them, its teeth only centimetres away from their faces.

“Sam?” Dean whispered and the wolf growled, Dean winced. “Tell me you see it too.” 

“Yeah.” Sam replied in a small whisper, his gaze stuck on the sharp teeth that could tear him apart if he moved an inch. 

“What do we do?” Dean whispered again and Sam fought the urge to shrug, the wolf didn’t seem like it was about to attack them, instead it was standing almost protectively over Stiles, as if it was trying to keep him safe from harm. 

“Hang on, I think I know what this is.” Sam hissed in triumph.

“Great. How do we kill it?” Dean replied.

“We don’t.” Sam said, gripping Dean’s arm tightly and forcing him to inch away from Stiles very slowly. “It’s okay, we’re not going to hurt him.” Sam muttered quietly, the wolf still growling quietly although not continuously, which he hoped was a positive sign. 

“What are we doing?” Dean asked as soon as they could stand up, he stared at the wolf, it looked bigger than a normal wolf, pitch black and sharp teeth that were still bared in their direction. “Do we shoot it?” 

“No. No, I’ve read about this, I think, I think this is Stiles’ familiar.” Sam muttered in awe. 

“His what?” Dean asked in befuddlement. 

“Familiar. It’s his spirit animal, mages, they were, I can’t remember exactly, but, basically, as they grow into their powers their spirit animals are revealed, the book made it sound more spiritual channelling and stuff than an actual corporeal being, but, I’m almost certain that’s what it is, I mean, it is protecting Stiles, look at it.” Sam explained and Dean stared at the wolf, the way it seemed to have relaxed slightly now that they weren’t as close to Stiles. 

“So, what do we do now? We can’t just leave him there?” 

“Maybe he’ll wake up soon?” Sam suggested and Dean rolled his eyes at him. 

“He just brought me back from the dead, or, at least the brink of death, he’s not going to wake up anytime soon. We need a plan.” Dean grumbled, lowering his gaze and taking a step forward, shrugging Sam’s hand off his arm and looking at the wolf, “Alright buddy, I’m not going to hurt him, I’m just going to make sure he’s okay, so, don’t eat me and we’ll be okay, how’s that sound? I think that sounds like a good idea. Don’t eat me and we’ll get Stiles somewhere safe.” Dean continued talking, moving forward slowly and steadily until he was within touching distance of Stiles and the wolf was growling quietly but at least his teeth weren’t bared which he counted as a win. 

“What’s your plan now?” Sam asked with a hint of amusement and Dean rolled his eyes. 

“Alright wolfy, here’s what we’re going to do, you’re going to let me pick up Stiles and carry him to the car and then we can get him back to the bunker, okay? Does that sound like a good idea to you?” Dean said, glad when he still hadn’t been eaten, managing to scoop Stiles up into his arms without the wolf attacking him. “Sammy, you want to go in front and get the car door?” Dean grunted, Stiles was more muscular than he’d realised and he was struggling slightly with the dead weight, and Sam nodded, hurrying forwards and opening the car door, glancing nervously at the wolf that was padding silently after them. 

Dean dropped Stiles onto the back seat and stared at him in worry, before he could even begin to examine Stiles properly the wolf jumped into the back seat, climbing over Stiles so that Sam and Dean couldn’t get to him and glaring at them both. 

“Okay, so, back to the bunker it is then.” Dean muttered under his breath, watching the wolf in the back seat that never took its eyes off them the entire drive, sitting protectively over Stiles and growling at them whenever they moved too quickly. 

It was a long drive and their nerves were shot by the time they got back to the bunker, there was no sign of Cas, they had no idea what had happened to him in Heaven, Dean had somehow survived an angel blade to the chest which they were almost certain was down to Stiles, and, they couldn’t even check that Stiles was properly okay because there was a wolf that seemed to be almost growing in size guarding him. 

When they eventually got back to the bunker Sam was able to carry Stiles into his bedroom and put him on the bed but as soon as Stiles was lay down the wolf snarled and growled until Sam backed away from him. They both grabbed showers and returned to Stiles’ room, watching the wolf with suspicious eyes, because, although he seemed to be protecting Stiles, they couldn’t be certain. 

“I’ll go hit the books, see what I can find out about familiars.” Sam said a few minutes later and Dean nodded, still rubbing at his chest without realising, evidently still trying to process the fact that he was still alive.

“You should bring some in here, then we can keep an eye on him and try and find out how to get rid of this thing.” Dean waved in the wolf’s direction and it growled at him. 

Dean had kind of hoped that the wolf would go to sleep at some point and then he’d be able to check on Stiles himself, okay, he could see his chest rising and falling so he knew he was breathing, but Stiles hadn’t stirred in the slightest since he’d saved Dean and that was nearly twenty-four hours ago already. He was exhausted, but, he didn’t think he’d be able to sleep until he knew Stiles was okay, until this wolf had vanished and Stiles was awake and teasing him about his mothering skills.


	8. Chapter 8

Dean wasn’t aware that he had nodded off until the sound of his phone ringing startled him into consciousness, he blinked a few times, seeing Sam doing the same thing from the other chair across the room, the wolf was still glaring at him and Stiles was still unconscious, he sighed, grabbing his phone and seeing Noah’s name flashing up on the screen.

“Hi Noah.” He greeted warmly.

“Hi,” Noah replied uncertainly, “Sorry, I’ve obviously woken you.” 

“Yeah, but, it’s fine, don’t worry, what’s up?” Dean asked.

“Nothing really, well, maybe, I just wanted to check how you went on with Metatron? Stiles said he thought you had a good lead on him, and, well, he said he’d call again once you’d checked it out, except he hasn’t called, and, I’m not trying to be overly protective or anything, but, you guys went up against an angel with extra power and I haven’t heard from him, and, I guess, I’m just checking you are all okay?” Noah asked uncertainly.

“We’re all alive, yeah.” Dean replied heavily, “But, Stiles, he’s…” How could Dean even begin to explain this?

“Stiles is what?” Derek’s voice came over the phone and Dean rolled his eyes, if Noah was a concerned parent, Derek was definitely the overprotective boyfriend. 

“He’s, um, comatose?” Dean finished and Sam ran a hand over his face in despair at the chorus of voices that echoed over the phone line sounding panicked. “Just, take a breath, he’s alive, he’s okay, we think.” 

“What do you mean ‘we think’? Why haven’t you taken him to a hospital to get him checked out!?” Derek shouted angrily and Sam sighed, snapping a quick picture of the wolf that was standing over Stiles and staring at the phone angrily, its lips curling back slightly to show its teeth, and sending it over to the pack. Dean heard several phones go off at once and then there was a sudden silence. “What the hell is that?” Derek snarled and Dean huffed a laugh.

“I thought as a werewolf you’d be able to recognise a wolf when you saw one.” Dean snorted.

“Shut up! What’s it doing!?” Derek asked.

“Not much, standing over Stiles, stopping us from getting anywhere near him, we managed to pick him up and get him home but since then, no chance. I can see him breathing, but, other than that we don’t know, and, it’s not exactly like we can take him to a hospital.” Dean explained.

“Where did it come from?” Scott asked and Dean frowned.

“We’re not sure.” Sam interrupted, saving Dean from answering, “We think it is Stiles’ familiar, it appeared out of thin air a minute after Stiles passed out, we don’t think it wants to cause him any harm, it’s protecting him, which agrees with the lore we’ve read, but, there’s no notes on how to get it to leave him alone long enough that we can check on him.” 

“A familiar? Like a witch’s familiar?” Lydia asked and Sam nodded.

“Yeah, exactly like that.” Sam agreed, “So, we’re working on it, and, Stiles is fine, I’m pretty sure if he wasn’t then his familiar would be more, um, aggressive? But, we just need the wolf to move.” He finished lamely.

“Point the phone in its direction.” Derek practically growled and Dean raised his eyebrows at Sam who shrugged.

“And that’s going to do what exactly?” Dean queried. 

“I’m an Alpha. Wolves recognise that too.” Derek said and Sam shrugged again, he guessed it couldn’t do any harm, Dean moved the phone, putting it on speaker and pointing it towards the bed.

“Alright, go crazy Mr Alpha.” Dean said sarcastically, surprised when Derek let out a low rumble that turned into a growl and the wolf on the bed tilted its head to the side quizzically and looked faintly amused which made Dean and Sam both stifle a laugh. 

“Did it work?” Derek asked a second later and the wolf let out a light yip that actually sounded like a laugh, it was enough to break both Sam and Dean. 

“I’m taking that as a no.” Noah commented when Dean had managed to compose himself enough that he was no longer laughing down the phone.

“I don’t know, maybe try again?” He suggested with a laugh and the wolf yipped again, “I think he liked it!” 

“It was supposed to make him back down!” Derek growled and Sam burst into fresh laughter, falling silent when the wolf jumped from the bed and padded towards Dean. “What’s happening?” The wolf sniffed at the phone and Dean motioned for Sam to move slowly to check on Stiles.

“Keep talking.” Dean muttered quietly. 

“Keep talking? About what? Will you tell me what’s going on?” Derek said in annoyance and the wolf moved closer, nudging the phone with its nose. 

“Stiles?” Sam whispered, shaking Stiles slightly, watching his chest rise and fall steadily, he could feel his pulse beating under his fingertips, Stiles was alive, there was no doubt about it, “Stiles? Wake up? Okay? Wake up now, it’s important.” 

“Derek, keep talking.” Dean instructed, afraid to move and draw the wolf’s attention away from the phone. 

“Okay, well, um, Jackson and Lydia have got engaged, we wanted to tell Stiles when he comes home, but, I guess now is a good as time as any, they’re really happy and we’re all very happy for them.” Derek started awkwardly, “And, erm, Scott and Allison are dating again which wouldn’t really surprise Stiles but it’s still good news…”

“Sam!” Dean shouted in warning when the wolf turned slightly and spotted Sam hovering over Stiles, it launched itself forward, propelling itself towards the bed as Dean dropped the phone and tried to grab onto it to stop it from attacking Sam, the wolf snapping and snarling the entire time. 

“What the hell is going on!? What the hell is that!? Why is there a wolf in my room!?” Stiles shouted in surprise and everybody stilled, the wolf struggling in Dean’s arms and yipping in Stiles’ direction, Dean let go of it uncertainly and then the wolf was bounding towards Stiles, licking at his face happily and nuzzling into his neck while Stiles laughed and stroked it in awe. “Aww, hey buddy, did the mean men scare you? You just needed a cuddle, didn’t you? Yes, you did, aww, you’re such a softie, aren’t you? Hey buddy, yes, a big softie.” Stiles laughed, running his hands through the wolfs coat affectionately. 

“Stiles, are you okay?” Sam asked uncertainly, looking at him in worry at the bruises and cuts on his face that hadn’t healed yet. 

“Yeah, fine, why?” Stiles asked distractedly, still stroking the wolf that was practically panting in excitement. 

Dean moved and picked his phone up from the floor, moving to the doorway while Stiles was distracted. 

“He’s awake.” He muttered.

“We heard.” Noah said in relief, “You should go back to him, I don’t want to cause him to have another panic attack. Tell him I love him.” 

“I will do.” Dean said sadly, “You didn’t cause the panic attack you know, I think, he’s just not ready to talk about it all.” 

“I know.” Noah said although he sounded to be on the verge of tears, “Just let him know I love him and I’ll wait for his next voicemail whenever he’s ready.” 

“Alright. I’ll call you later.” Dean said, hanging up the phone and going back into Stiles’ room. “That was your dad, he says he loves you.” Dean explained and Stiles nodded. “How are you feeling? You’re not healing? I thought the rune was supposed to heal you?” 

“I’m alright Dean, honestly, chill out.” Stiles grinned, cuddling up next to the wolf that was snuggling up in the bed with him.

“But why aren’t you healing!?” He asked in annoyance and Stiles shrugged.

“I don’t know? I mean, my magic doesn’t feel very strong at the moment, I think, maybe, I don’t know so don’t take my word for gospel, but, maybe, I used it up? And until it replenishes then I haven’t got enough magic to heal myself?” 

“That makes sense.” Sam commented, “I mean, there’s plenty of references to mages running out of magic, you know, it’s not like it’s an endless supply, but, the books said it does increase again, it takes time, and food and sleep?” 

“I am starving.” Stiles muttered in agreement and Sam laughed. 

“Come on then, we’ll get you some food and then we’re going to have to figure out how this familiar thing works.” Sam said, already getting up and moving towards the kitchen.

“Familiar?” Stiles asked in confusion.

“The wolf.” Dean replied.

“This is my familiar?” Stiles asked, looking at the wolf with fresh eyes, “Well, I guess that makes sense.” He laughed when the wolf licked his cheek, “You’re a cutie, aren’t you? What shall we call you? How about Shadow?” The wolf nosed at Stiles’ neck and he laughed, “Okay, okay, not Shadow, what about Fang? You look kind of like how I imagined Fang in the books, I mean, you’re big, bigger than a normal wolf, right?” Stiles looked to Dean who was only shaking his head in amusement. 

“Yeah, he does look like he’s grown since he appeared actually, and, I think he likes the name Fang. Alright, come on, you need food.” Dean said, waving towards the kitchen as Stiles got up and moved towards the door, wincing only slightly in pain, “Oh, and Stiles, next time you nearly kill yourself trying to save my life, I’ll kill you myself, we clear?” Dean said and Stiles nodded quickly before Dean pulled him into a hug, “At some point I’m going to be able to say thank you and it be enough.” 

“It already is enough Dean, I didn’t do it to get you to thank me, I care about you, you’re family, I didn’t want to lose you, maybe you need to stop nearly dying and I’ll stop having to save you.” Stiles teased.

“Well, I’m not making any promises, but, I’ll try.” Dean grinned in reply, pulling Stiles into a short hug before ruffling his hair and moving towards the kitchen.

They ate in relative silence, all of them seemingly preoccupied by their own thoughts, Stiles could see how exhausted Sam and Dean looked and he knew it was because they hadn’t really slept since he’d done whatever it was he’d done to save Dean’s life, he couldn’t help but feel guilty about that, he felt even more guilty about the fact his dad had obviously been worried enough to call Dean and then hadn’t even spoken out loud when Stiles was conscious. Fang seemed to pick up on his guilt, rubbing his head into Stiles hand and whining slightly, Stiles stroking him absentmindedly.

“Can I borrow your phone?” Stiles asked Sam when they’d finished their food and Sam raised an eyebrow at him in question before sliding his phone across the table to Stiles. Stiles pulled up his dad’s number and stared at it for a few moments, he was nervous, what could he say? What if his dad hated him for running away? What if they all told him what a coward he was? Not to mention the fact he was a murderer? How was his dad supposed to know that he had killed Rafael and not arrest him for it? Before he could talk himself out of it, he moved towards the stacks away from Sam and Dean in the kitchen, Fang trotting behind him, then he took a deep breath and dialled. 

“Hey Sam, everything okay son?” His dad’s voice drifted over the line a few moments later and Stiles gritted his teeth, clenching his fists and fighting back the wave of panic that was threatening to overwhelm him, “Sam?” Noah asked sounding uncertain.

“Hi dad.” Stiles whispered, terror running rampant through his body. 

“Stiles?” Noah sounded so uncertain and so relieved at the same time that Stiles felt like his heart was breaking, he’d put his dad through so much, he was an awful son, his dad deserved better. 

“Yeah, yeah it’s me.” 

“Oh god, Stiles, god, I can’t believe it’s you, oh kiddo, I’ve missed you so much, we all have, I love you, you know that? I love you so much.”

“I love you too dad.” Stiles mumbled. 

“God, Stiles, what happened, it wasn’t your fault, okay? What Raph…” 

“Stop.” Stiles whispered, panic flooding through him again, “Please, just, I know I don’t have the right…I’ve put you through so much dad, I know I have, and I’m sorry, I’m sorry that it sounds like I’m thinking about myself more than you, that’s not true, I know that you’re suffering too, I know that I’m hurting you too, but, I can’t talk about that, I’m not ready to talk about that, I’m sorry.” Stiles rambled, hearing his dad take a big breath on the other end of the phone and bracing himself for the shouting that was about to start.

“Okay kiddo, I get it, I understand, okay? I love you and I’ll wait, until you’re ready, we won’t talk about it, that sound fair?” Noah said calmly and Stiles felt tears spilling down his cheeks, he swiped at them furiously and fought back a soft sob.

“Yeah dad, that would be, I’m sorry, but, yeah, please, please can we not?” Stiles muttered uncertainly.

“Yeah, of course Stiles, when you’re ready, I’m here, but, until then, don’t worry about it, all I need you to know is that I love you and that it wasn’t your fault, that’s all, so long as you know that, I’ll wait as long as you need.”

“Thanks dad.” Stiles said gratefully, still wiping away a few tears.

“So, tell me what’s been going on with you? Did you get Metatron? What happened that you were unconscious? And this wolf? What’s that about?” Noah quizzed and Stiles smiled softly, stroking Fang’s head and slowly calming himself down.

“No, he got away, but Cas is still missing, we’re not sure what happened to him, but, he was supposed to break the angel tablet and he didn’t, Metatron was still at full power when we went up against him, I think we have to assume Cas has been captured, so, we’ll have to find a way to break him out. Although, I have no idea how that’s going to work.” Stiles hummed quietly.

“So, Metatron was at full power? Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” Noah asked nervously and Stiles shrugged, before blushing slightly when he realised his dad couldn’t see it. 

“A bit, nothing too serious, but, he, um, he stabbed Dean, through the chest, with an angel blade, I, we, there was so much blood, and Dean, god, he was dying dad, and, I couldn’t watch him die, couldn’t lose him, so, yeah, I don’t really know what I did, but, I did, something? And, it healed him and then I passed out, and, Fang appeared and he’s pretty cool, he likes scratches behind the ears, he’s a bit of a softy really.” Stiles smiled. 

“Well, um,” Noah seemed to be lost for words, “I’m glad Fang is keeping an eye out for you, Dean said he wouldn’t let them anywhere near you.”

“Yeah, he seems a bit protective, but, that’s probably a good thing.” Stiles agreed. 

“And, Dean, he’s okay? Not dying? Or anything like that?” 

“No, he seems fine, I think, I think I healed him somehow? I mean, I don’t know how, or what I did, or anything like that, but, I think he’s okay. There’s no sign of any damage anyway.” Stiles explained. 

“That’s good kid, I’m glad to hear you’re all doing okay, I, um, I’m really glad you called, that you wanted to talk.” 

“I always want to talk to you dad, I miss you, a lot, but, I…I don’t know how to…I can’t forget…what I did…sorry, I’m sorry, I’m going to go now.” Stiles said.

“Okay kiddo, that’s fine, you think you might feel like calling again soon?” Noah asked hopefully and Stiles nodded. 

“Yeah, maybe, you could put the ringer on, but, um, just you? Okay? I don’t think I’m ready to deal with any of the pack, not yet, is that okay?” Stiles asked uncertainly, “I don’t want them to hate me, and, I’m sorry I’m making this all about me, I don’t want to, but, I’m not strong enough, I can’t handle them, not yet, I’m sorry.”

“Listen to me, you don’t need to be sorry Stiles, you’ve got nothing to be sorry for, I understand that, we all do, I’ll tell them that you’ll talk to them when you’re ready, okay? And, until then, you call me whenever you feel like it, I’m always here for you kid, no matter what, whenever you need me, even when you don’t need me but just want a chat, okay?” 

“Yeah dad, that would be good.” Stiles nodded, feeling a weight lift from his shoulders, “I love you dad.” 

“Love you too kiddo, be safe.” 

“Always.” Stiles grinned before he hung up the phone, turning back to the kitchen and seeing both Dean and Sam looking at him with matching smiles on their faces. 

“Your dad okay?” Dean smirked and Stiles shook his head in bemusement, throwing Sam’s phone back to him and then texting his dad his number from his own phone. 

“Stiles raised a good point though.” Sam commented and Stiles looked up at him in surprise, not aware that they’d been listening to the whole call. “Cas is missing.”

“We don’t know that. He could have destroyed the tablet and captured Metatron and be organising Heaven into some sort of system again already?” Stiles suggested hopefully, trying not to notice the look of worry on Dean’s features before the older man schooled his face into something more neutral.

“Cas has always been able to look after himself. He’ll be okay.” Dean insisted, but it was obvious to Sam and Stiles that Dean was only saying that to try and convince himself it was true. “I don’t know about you guys but I’m going to go hit the hay.” He said, pointing towards his bedroom before he wandered out of sight and shut the door behind him. 

“What about you? You look ready to collapse.” Stiles said and Sam shrugged.

“I’ll live.” 

“Sam, go sleep, you need it.” Stiles advised and Sam nodded. 

“I haven’t said it yet, but, thanks, thanks for saving him, again. I don’t know what we would have done without you these past few months, I’m really glad we met you Stiles, and, not because of your magic, or saving Dean’s life, or anything like that, but, you’re a good man Stiles, and, Dean was right, I’m proud of us, I’m proud of you.” Sam said, putting a hand on Stiles’ shoulder and Stiles smiled slightly, his eyes brimming with tears because he felt so loved in that moment, he felt that maybe, maybe, he’d be able to make things okay, maybe he’d be able to make amends for what he had done, maybe his dad would be proud of him too. 

Stiles knew that looking for Cas had to be the priority, but, he was exhausted, he knew he wouldn’t be any good if he tried searching for him now, so he decided to go to bed, follow Dean and Sam’s example, rest, recover, be ready to fight Heaven in the morning in order to get Cas back. He curled up in his bed cuddling up to Fang, practically burying his face in his fur and drifted into sleep easily. 

Stiles woke up in his bed alone and with a burning sensation in his arm, when he pulled his sleeve up he was shocked to see Fang tattooed onto his skin, the wolf had his head tipped up as if he was howling to the moon, Stiles could only stare in silence as the tattoo moved up his arm to his collarbone where Stiles could almost feel Fang’s fur rubbing against him offering him comfort, the burning sensation completely gone.

“Right, okay, yeah, so that’s a thing.” Stiles said in shock, throwing himself out of bed and wondering how the wolf had ended up as a moving tattoo on his skin, incredibly he wasn’t freaking out, but, it was only because he could feel the good intentions coming from Fang, that the wolf only wanted him happy and safe, it felt good.

“Morning.” Sam called as Stiles entered the kitchen, pouring Stiles a mug of coffee and then looking around, “No Fang this morning?” 

“Um, well, yes and no.” Stiles said, pulling the collar of his shirt across slightly so that Sam could see Fang who had curled up asleep just next to his anti-possession tattoo. 

“Erm…” Sam said at a loss for words before he swallowed and nodded, “Okay, so, yeah.” He nodded again, “And, does he like, can you make him an actual wolf again?” He asked.

“I have no idea.” Stiles shrugged, hopping up on the counter and sipping at his coffee as Dean stumbled in, blinking at them blearily. 

“Fang changed into a tattoo.” Sam blurted out and Dean stared at him like he’d lost his mind until Stiles pulled his shirt again, showing Dean Fang as well. 

“Huh.” Dean surmised, “Okay.” He said simply, pouring himself a mug of coffee and taking a large gulp, blinking a few more times before nodding again, “So, you have a new tattoo, great. One more isn’t going to hurt at this point.” He commented and Stiles grinned, “You’ve still got to be the one to tell your dad though.” Dean pointed out and Stiles’ smile fell slightly.

“Yeah, yeah, I totally will do, at some point, but, first, how are we going to find Cas?” Stiles said, hoping to change the subject.

Thankfully they didn’t need to try and storm the gates of Heaven when there was only the three of them, not that Stiles wouldn’t have been willing to try it, but, no, Cas reappeared before they got the chance to make any decent plans. Stiles was a little grateful for that, so far all he’d come up with was trying to draw a blasting rune that would basically turn himself into a walking time bomb in the hopes that he could threaten his way into Heaven, he hadn’t bothered sharing that plan with either of the Winchesters, knowing they’d both smack him around the head for his idiocy. 

“What happened Cas? Where have you been?” Sam asked as soon as Cas had finished hugging Dean, Stiles grinning slightly at just how long their hug lasted, he wondered how long before Dean would admit he had very strong feelings for his angel. 

“Gadreel sacrificed himself in order to free us, we destroyed the tablet, Metatron is imprisoned in Heaven’s dungeon and Heaven is returning to normal, or, at least, as best as it can do.” Cas surmised. 

“So, that’s it? It’s over? Metatron is defeated and all is okay with the world?” Stiles asked hopefully and Cas pursed his lips.

“Well, not everything, there are still factions of angels fighting each other that I intend to do my best to stop, there are still demons wandering the earth when they should be in the bowels of Hell, there are still humans turning on each other and creatures that kill indiscriminately, there is still war and plague and famine...” Cas supplied and Stiles rolled his eyes.

“Alright, other than all of that, everything else is good? Like, the world isn’t about to end? We’re all in one piece? Everything is okay?” He asked uncertainly, feeling that things couldn’t just end so easily. 

“Yes.” Cas nodded firmly, “We are all unharmed, although, Metatron said he stabbed you, that he killed you.” He said to Dean, staring at him as if he would be able to see the damage Metatron had inflicted.

“Yeah, he did, except, our resident mage managed to save me, somehow.” Dean grinned at Stiles and Cas stared at him gratefully, Stiles clapped a hand on Cas’ shoulder and smiled, filling the angel in on everything that had happened while they fought Metatron. 

The next few weeks were quiet and Stiles was kind of glad about that, he’d taken to practicing keeping his magic from specific runes on his body, and contemplating adding a few more, even though he wasn’t sure how his dad was going to react when he found out. Stiles had spoken to him a few times since that first time, feeling more comfortable each time he spoke to his dad, listening to the news that his dad had to tell him, he knew Beacon Hills wouldn’t just stop attracting creatures just because he wasn’t there, so it was good to hear that the pack were successfully stopping any killings before they even happened just by working together as a team. It sounded like they were doing well and Stiles missed them, he wanted to talk to them, find out how they were doing, figure out if there was any kind of relationship left to be had after everything he’d done, after all the lies he'd told, but, he wasn’t sure where to even start. 

“Well, Isaac is here by himself at the moment,” His dad rambled, “The others are all out on patrol but Isaac’s still healing up from the injury that chupacabra caused, but, it’s nothing serious, he should be back on his feet before the end of the night.” 

“Oh, well, that’s good to hear.” Stiles said, feeling a little nervous, “Hey, dad, if Isaac isn’t busy, and he doesn’t mind, do you think he’d want to talk to me?” There was silence for a moment and then it sounded as if the phone had been dropped, he could hear Isaac apologising and his dad letting out an exasperated sigh.

“Stiles!?” Isaac’s voice drifted down the line sounding so excited that Stiles felt instantly guilty.

“Hey man, how are you doing?” Stiles asked.

“I’m good, I mean, my legs broken, and I kind of forgot that trying to grab the phone from your dad, so, I may have damaged it a little bit more, but, man, I wanted to talk to you.” Isaac said happily and Stiles found himself grinning despite his nerves.

“So, a chupacabra huh?”

“Yeah, dude, you should have seen it, honestly, I thought Peter as the Alpha was terrifying, but this, this is like a whole new level of weird.” Isaac replied and Stiles grinned. 

“So, the others are out looking for it?” 

“Yeah, it caught me by surprise, that’s the only reason I got hurt, it was like a sneak attack, besides, Derek has been teaching us all how to fight, not like before, it’s proper training now, so we’re all getting stronger and better, you should see us Stiles, you’ll be amazed.”

“I was already amazed by you guys.” Stiles laughed before the mood turned more sombre and Isaac fell silent. 

“Your dad said you aren’t ready to talk about everything yet…”

“He’s right.” Stiles said firmly.

“I know, I know, so, I’m not going to bring it up and upset you or anything like that, but, I just wanted to tell you that,” Isaac took a deep breath, “Thank you.” 

“What?” Stiles said confused.

“For doing what you did, for getting those pictures, for getting my dad locked up, I, you, thank you. There’s nothing else I could ever say that would do it justice, but, just, thanks man.” Isaac said sincerely and Stiles felt the tears forming in his eyes, clearing his throat quickly because he never expected Isaac to thank him, he’d been sure that he would hate Stiles for meddling.

“Don’t mention it.” Stiles replied a few moments later and if he sounded a little bit overwhelmed Isaac didn’t comment, “So, what else is new? I mean, a Chupacabra can’t be the only thing going on, what’s been happening at school? In your life? Still living at the loft with Peter and Derek?” He asked, trying to return to a lighter topic of conversation before he started to have a panic attack.

They must have been talking for the better part of an hour when Stiles heard the door opening at Isaac’s end of the call and voices drifting over the line. 

“That’s the others back now.” Isaac explained and Stiles nodded. 

“I’m going to go now then, but, um, thanks, for you know, not hating me…”

“Stiles I could never hate you.” Isaac said seriously and Stiles nodded uncertainly, unable to see how everyone at his father’s house had suddenly turned towards the phone in Isaac’s hand, looking at it with something like awe in their eyes. “You know, if you wanted to talk to the others…”

“I can’t, not yet, I’m sorry. But, I’m trying, I know that’s kind of pathetic, but, I am trying, and, maybe, maybe I could talk to you again soon?” Stiles asked uncertainly and Isaac broke out into a blinding grin, the rest of the pack looking equal parts relieved and annoyed that they weren’t the ones speaking to Stiles, that they weren’t the ones that were injured and left to recover at the Stilinski house when Stiles called. 

“Yeah, yeah that would be great Stiles, I’ve missed you, we all have.” 

“I miss you guys too.” Stiles said, “Tell dad I’ll call him in a few days.” He said, ending the call and steadying himself slightly, it was okay, it was okay, Isaac didn’t hate him, he didn’t blame him, he thanked him. 

Hearing about the rogue werewolves that were kidnapping hikers had been the last thing Stiles wanted to deal with, he’d found a really interesting book about the other men of letters bunkers that were hidden across the country and he really wanted to try and find out if there was one in Beacon Hills, really, the amount of supernatural crap that place attracted had to mean the men of letters had some kind of base there once upon a time. Instead he’d left the book where it was, grabbed his bag with a few clothes and a shedload of weapons, flung it in the boot of the impala and then strewn himself across the back seat while Dean drove and Sam filled them in on the case details. 

It should have been a simple rescue the innocents and kill the evil werewolves kind of thing, instead Sam got shot and it wasn’t a flesh wound either, Stiles had felt the same panic he’d felt when Dean had been stabbed, that he couldn’t lose him, that Sam was a good man and he deserved to live. 

“Stiles, can you help him? Heal him?” Dean asked desperately and Stiles looked to him with pure panic in his features.

“Stiles, it’s okay, its alright.” Sam reassured him, his voice filled with pain and yet he was still trying to comfort Stiles. 

“No, no, I can’t, I don’t know how.” Stiles rambled, keeping pressure on the wound and feeling like a panic attack was about to overwhelm him.

“Stiles, it’s okay, don’t worry about it, it’ll be fine.” Sam whispered, letting out a groan of pain and hitting his head against the floor, as his eyes rolled back and he passed out.

“Sam! Sammy! Wake up! Sam! Wake up little brother! Come on!” Dean said, grabbing Sam’s shoulders and shaking him, “Sammy! Please!” 

“Sam! Come on, wake up, come on, please.” Stiles echoed, feeling more panicked by the second when Sam didn’t move. He could feel his magic building and did his best to focus on that, focus on it building, focus on the fact that Sam was going to die if he didn’t do something right now. He clenched his hands together, his vision taking on a haze of red as his eyes started to glow, having only a moment to stare at the way his hands almost glowed with power before he shoved it all outwards towards Sam. He stared in wonder as the wound started to heal in front of his eyes and then everything went instantly black. 

Dean was clutching tightly to Sam’s shoulder, not knowing what else he could do to save his brother’s life, this was supposed to be a simple job, it was supposed to be easy, straight forward, instead Sam was bleeding out in front of him and there was nothing he could do. He knew he was asking too much of Stiles, knew that the kid didn’t have any idea how his magic had healed Dean previously, except he didn’t know what else to do, he didn’t know how to save Sam. And then Stiles’ hands were glowing and he saw the magic actually leave Stiles, flow into Sam’s wound and then Sam’s eyes were opening and Stiles slumped over unconscious. 

“Sammy? Sam? You okay?” Dean asked, already checking Stiles for a pulse and relaxing slightly when he found one. 

“Wh’t hppn’d?” Sam groaned groggily, looking around and sitting up, staring at the healed wound in his stomach and then his eyes fell on Stiles, “He okay?” 

“Yeah, just unconscious.” Dean reassured him, steadying Sam when he tried to move too quickly, somehow not really surprised when Fang suddenly appeared next to Stiles, looking at both of them with annoyance before he turned around and snuffled gently against Stiles’ face, giving him a few licks before glaring at them again. 

“Sorry.” Sam grimaced and Fang huffed out a sigh, “I promise we’ll both stop nearly dying and making Stiles heal us.” 

“Yeah, but, nice to see you again buddy.” Dean said, reaching out slowly and Fang bared his teeth, “Okay, sure, let’s just take this nice and slow then, alright buddy, we’re not going to hurt him, you know that, so, let’s just get him home, get him safe, that sound good to you?” Dean explained, trying to copy Stiles’ previous interaction with Fang, hoping the wolf would realise that Dean meant Stiles no harm and therefore they would be allowed near him. 

“What about the other werewolves? There’s more of them out there?” The woman that they’d been trying to save spoke up and Dean looked at her, her and her husband, Corbin, had been absolutely useless the entire time and now Stiles was unconscious and Sam was only just back from the brink of death and Dean was pissed off, he was going to kill those bastards and then he was going to let Stiles sleep for a week and nothing was going to stop him.

He’d barely had time to get Stiles onto the sofa before the three other werewolves were coming towards the small lodge where they’d been keeping their prisoners, Sam snatched up his gun and nodded to Dean who stood behind the door, ready to attack as soon as they came in. Fang stood on guard over Stiles, snarling and baring his teeth in the direction of the door, ready to defend Stiles to the death if necessary. 

The window behind Sam was smashed in and Sam spun quickly, getting tackled to the ground by the werewolf that had jumped in through the window, Dean moved away from the door, pointing his gun at the two men scrabbling on the floor, unable to get a clear shot without the worry of hitting his brother and then the main door was kicked in and the other two werewolves came flooding through, Dean took the first one down easily but then the second one was on him, his gun skittering out of his reach as he hit the ground hard. He saw teeth coming towards his exposed throat, not able to do much other than try and offer up his arm to be gnawed on instead, but, before anything connected with his bare skin, Fang was there, ripping the werewolf away, his fangs sinking deep into the werewolf’s throat and dragging him off Dean, snarling and scratching and digging his claws into the man’s flesh until he lay still. Dean grabbed his gun, spinning quickly and taking the shot at the wolf that Sam was still fighting against, shooting her quickly and then taking a few unsteady breaths, letting out a huff of laughter that, somehow, they were all still alive. 

“Thanks buddy.” Dean said and Fang looked at him with disdain before trotting back towards Stiles, sitting next to him and cleaning his paws delicately, licking the blood off and still staring at Dean with annoyance. “Sammy? You okay?” 

“Yeah, I’m fine. Stiles?”

“Still out for the count.” Dean muttered, staring at the two people they had come to save. “You both okay? You didn’t get bitten?”

“No.” Corbin said firmly but his wife looked at him a little uncertainly.

“Michelle?” Sam queried.

“I thought, I might have been mistaken…” She muttered, shaking her head, “No, it doesn’t matter.”

“It does. If one of them bit you, you’ll turn into one of them.” Dean growled.

“No, no, I probably imagined it.” She insisted.

“Shut up Michelle.” Corbin growled and Michelle nodded meekly.

“It’s not a death sentence.” Sam said calmly, looking at Corbin suspiciously, “It can be controlled, we know it can be, we’ve got friends who are werewolves, it can be controlled, so, if you were bitten, tell us now and let us help you.” Corbin tensed, his nose twitching slightly before he seemed to zone in on Stiles who was still unconscious, suddenly his eyes went almost completely black, claws extended from his fingers and he lunged forward attempting to reach Stiles. He hit the ground hard with a bullet in his skull before he got anywhere near him. Michelle was screaming in terror and Dean stalked forward, refusing to lower his gun until he’d made sure Corbin was dead, Sam bending down and checking for a pulse and then nodding in confirmation. 

“He’s dead?” Michelle sobbed and Sam nodded.

“I’m sorry Michelle, but, we had to.”

“No, no, I understand, he’d become one of those things. He would have killed your friend.”

“I meant it, there are good werewolves out there, ones that can control themselves, it’s not easy, but they can do it, we wouldn’t have killed him if it hadn’t been necessary.”

“I know that, just, god, it was supposed to be a hike through the woods and now he’s dead.” Michelle sobbed and Dean couldn’t help but agree with her, this was supposed to be a simple hunt except Sam had nearly died, Stiles was unconscious and Dean had nearly been turned or had his throat torn out, he was looking forward to getting home. 

They took Michelle to the nearest hospital, dropping her off and waving goodbye as Fang glared at her from where he sat practically on Stiles, the drive back to the bunker was quiet, they were obviously stuck in their own thoughts. They swapped seats about half way home, neither of them wanting to stop and get a motel, rather be at the bunker when Stiles woke up, except it had been over thirty hours since he’d passed out and he still hadn’t woken up, it was longer than last time, too long. Dean kept glancing back to Fang and Stiles, worried that Stiles still hadn’t woken up, he wasn’t sure what the kid had done, but, they couldn’t keep asking him to save their lives, not when it was causing him to lose consciousness for days.

“You should try and sleep.” Sam muttered from where he was driving, “You look exhausted.”

“I’ll sleep when Stiles wakes up and we know he’s okay.” Dean grunted.

“It’s been longer this time.” Sam commented and Dean nodded, “Do you think he did something different this time?”

“I don’t know Sammy, we don’t know how any of this works, Stiles doesn’t know how any of this works, and, god, we shouldn’t have put him in that situation, I mean, I’m so fucking grateful to him for saving your life, and I wanted him to, obviously, but, what’s the cost to him? What is this doing to him? What if he doesn’t wake up?” Dean said and Sam pursed his lips in thought.

“He will wake up Dean, we know he will. He just needs time to rest. He’ll wake up and then we’ll make it a priority to figure out what the hell he does and how to stop it so that he doesn’t pass out every time, and, um, maybe try and avoid nearly dying so that he has to keep saving us?” Sam replied and Dean shook his head fondly.

“Yeah, that would be a good idea.” He commented. “Did you see how Corbin went straight for him? Before the shift had even really taken hold, he went straight for him. Something about him attracts these creatures, we have to figure out how to stop that too. He can’t live the rest of his life with a target on his back.”

“We’ll figure it out Dean, we always do.” Sam said firmly and with such determination that Dean knew they would find a way to help Stiles, that they wouldn’t let him get hurt because of this, not if they could do something about it.

Stiles woke up almost two days after he first lost consciousness, Sam and Dean had both taken to pacing at the end of his bed and glancing at him every ten seconds in case something had changed while Fang glared at both of them, growling whenever they got anywhere near close to him. 

They’d seriously thought about calling Derek again, seeing if his voice could somehow distract Fang for long enough that they could try and wake Stiles up, but, the idea of telling the pack that Stiles was unconscious again because of them wasn’t something they were exactly thrilled about. They were debating what they should do when Stiles groaned quietly, shifting in the bed and opening his eyes to stare at them. 

“This has got to stop happening.” He muttered while Sam and Dean both stared at him, both startled by the fact Stiles’ eyes were still glowing red. “What? Have I got something on my face?” Stiles asked, sitting up a little straighter in bed and wincing slightly, reassuring Fang when the wolf whimpered.

“What’s wrong? Are you in pain?” Dean asked sounding worried.

“No, I’m, um, not sure?” Stiles replied, rubbing his chest absentmindedly, “My chest feels kind of, hollow? If that makes sense? And, I don’t think, I can’t feel my magic? Did I lose it?” Stiles said, sounding terrified.

“Your eyes are still glowing red.” Sam input, “So, you must still have your magic.” He added, feeling guilt flood through him, if Stiles lost his magic saving Sam’s life, he’d never forgive himself, Stiles could do so much good, he had already done so much good with it, he’d already saved so many lives, including theirs, if he lost it, it would be Sam’s fault, and the world would be a little darker, a little more dangerous. 

“I can’t feel it though. What’s happening? What if, god, what if it’s gone?” Stiles said, on his way to a full panic attack now as Fang whined and nuzzled closer to him, trying to comfort Stiles. 

“Stiles, listen to me.” Dean said, sitting on the edge of the bed and looking at Stiles with fierce determination, trying not to be unnerved by the panic filled wide red eyes that stared back at him, “You have not lost your magic. You still have it. But, even if you didn’t, you would still be okay. You are strong Stiles. You’ve survived plenty of times before you had magic. You don’t need your magic to be okay. But you have it anyway. You exhausted yourself saving Sam, you probably just need to replenish your reserves or something, eat, sleep, rest, give it a few days and I’m sure you’ll feel back to normal, and, if you don’t, if your magic doesn’t come back, that’s okay, you will be fine. You’ve got us. We’re here for you Stiles. You’ve got your dad and the pack, they’ll help. You will be fine. Okay?” 

“Okay.” Stiles said, although his breathing was still a little erratic. 

“Good, that’s it, take a few deep breaths, you’ve got this, okay, you’re going to be fine.” Dean reassured him and watched as Stiles took a few more steadying breaths before letting out a sheepish smile.

“Sorry.” He mumbled.

“Don’t be sorry Stiles, you’ve got nothing to be sorry for. You saved my life.” Sam said, sitting next to Dean and then pausing, “You’ve been out a lot longer this time, do you think you used more magic maybe?” 

“I don’t know. I don’t really remember much, just that I had to save you, and, then, well, my hands kind of glowed and everything went kind of red which I figured was my eyes shifting, and, yeah, blackness.” Stiles muttered in explanation.

“Alright, well, we’ll figure it out, okay? For now, let’s get you some food, that’ll probably help.” Dean said, rolling his eyes when he moved too quickly and Fang growled at him, Stiles staring at the wolf in bemusement.

“Dude, Dean and Sam are friends, don’t growl at them.” Stiles said in amusement, getting out of the bed a little slowly.

“You should see him when you’re unconscious, he’s fucking terrifying, it’s like he’s a completely different animal.” Dean commented, “Except when Derek tried to growl him into submission, Fang thought that was highly amusing.” 

“What? Derek tried to growl down the phone at Fang!?” Stiles said in amazement and Sam and Dean both nodded, “Why didn’t you record that for me!? Are you kidding me? I missed Derek going all Alpha down the phone at an actual wolf and you didn’t record it!?” 

“We’ll make sure to do that next time.” Sam smirked, it falling from his face instantly when Stiles stood up and swayed unsteadily on the spot, “Stiles, are you alright?” Sam grabbed his arm to stop him falling and Stiles nodded but he’d gone very pale, he looked like he was on the verge of passing out.

“Yeah, just a bit of a head rush.” Stiles admitted, moving slowly towards the kitchen, and leaning a little on Fang who padded gently at his side. “Food will help I think.” 

Stiles ate like he was a man half starved, demolishing most of the food in the fridge before he finally said he was full, his skin had a healthier glow, his eyes had almost returned to their normal amber although there was still some kind of otherworldly glow about them and he commented that he could feel something that felt like his magic stretching lazily in his chest. Stiles tried to explain to them, about how it felt like it was stretching after a long sleep, but they both looked at him blankly, they couldn’t feel it, they just had to take him at his word. 

“So, you feel better?” Sam asked nervously.

“Yeah, I think, Dean was probably right, I just like exhausted myself and need a bit of time to build up my magic again, don’t worry dude, I’m doing okay.” 

“Good, then we need to figure out how to stop it from happening again.” Sam said seriously and Stiles nodded in agreement.

“I’m not going to argue with you dude, I kind of prefer not losing days at a time.” He grinned and Sam shook his head fondly before moving to the books and selecting one at random. “While you do that, I’m just going to finish this one,” Stiles returned to the book he’d been reading before they’d left for the hunt, about the other bunkers the men of letters had built, Dean looked at them both fondly before he snorted and shook his head.

“Alright nerds, I’m going to go do a food shop, you guys want anything?” Dean asked as he picked up the keys and moved towards the door. 

“Nah, I’m good.” Stiles said, already losing himself in the pages in front of him.

“Alright see you in a bit.” 

It took six days before Stiles’ eyes returned to their normal colour and he’d been forced to wear sunglasses on the two occasions that he’d left the bunker in case anybody saw him and noticed the glow in his eyes. His magic was almost back, but, it wasn’t quite right yet, Sam had finally confessed how guilty he felt but Stiles shut him up almost immediately, telling him there was nothing to feel guilty about, it was Stiles’ decision, it was his choice, he’d chosen to do whatever he could to save Sam, and, if he’d lost his magic, he would have just had to deal with it. It was odd, his magic had trickled back slowly, as if it was barely there, and, then, suddenly, it was like the floodgates had opened and it had flooded through him, making his skin tingle with it, he still wasn’t back at full power, but at least it was sort of back to normal.

He’d called his dad the day after he’d woken up, managing to avoid the fact that he’d been unconscious for two days, that his eyes were still red and that he wasn’t sure if his magic was ever going to return properly. Instead they talked about the hunt, how they’d had to kill the newly turned werewolf when he went for them, Stiles still hadn’t told his dad that he was somehow a monster magnet now, he didn’t want him worrying, and that Dean had been the one to kill the guy. Noah told him about how they’d finally got rid of the Chupacabra and the pack were all okay, Stiles was glad to hear it, knowing that the pack were probably all there and listening in. 

From what Sam and Dean had said over the last few months, and the couple of conversations he’d had with his dad, it was obvious that his dad’s house was practically ground zero for the pack, that most of them would come there rather than go home, that they’d spend all their free time there, it was kind of weird, but, Stiles was glad his dad had company, had people looking out for him. 

“So, how’s Isaac doing? All healed up now?” Stiles asked, chuckling slightly when the phone sounded like it was snatched once again from his dad’s hand. 

“I’m fine. I was healed by the time we were done talking, perks of werewolf healing you know?” 

“So I hear.” Stiles laughed. “And everyone else is okay? No missing limbs or broken bones?” 

“Nah, Lydia got a few scratches but then Jackson tore the things head off for daring to touch her, he got all overprotective fiancé and then Lydia got all annoyed because she can take care of herself and then they went off and had lots of sex and that’s pretty much it.” Isaac explained and Stiles let out another laugh, surprising himself with how easy it came out. There was silence for a moment and then Isaac’s voice drifted down the line again, sounding more serious this time, “We all miss you, you know that, don’t you?”

“Yeah, yeah I do.” Stiles said, forcing back the tears that were forming in his eyes. “But, I’m not, you know I’m not ready, to talk, or to come home, not yet. I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be dude, you take as long as you need, but, you know we’ll be here waiting for you whenever you’re ready.” Isaac reassured him. 

“Thanks man. Hey, you think, I’m, um, is Lydia around?” Stiles asked nervously. 

“Sure, hang on one second.” Isaac said sounding hopeful, Stiles’ heart was hammering in his chest, he thought he might be sick, god, why did he even open his mouth?

“Stiles.” Lydia said in greeting, sounding calm and controlled and nothing like Isaac. 

“Lydia.” Stiles replied in the same tone, doing his best to fight back the urge to throw up.

“So, when are you going to come home? I’m bored and nobody matches me for intelligence nearly as well as you kind of do, as much as Peter tries his best.” Lydia commented and Stiles took a steadying breath. 

“Was that a compliment from the great Lydia Martin?” He teased and Lydia let out a half laugh, as if she was doing her best not to laugh and failing slightly. 

“Just because you show more intelligence than the rest of them don’t go getting a big head.” She replied and Stiles let out a laugh. 

“As if I would ever dare to do something so unflattering.” He replied before Lydia sighed, her voice turned softer, gentler, more loving.

“Seriously, Stiles, I miss you. Come home soon, please.” She whispered as if it was an awful confession to make and Stiles shook his head despite the fact she couldn’t see him.

“I’m not ready yet Lyds, I’m sorry, but, I’m not. I’m barely functioning, I don’t know what I’m doing most of the time, the only reason I haven’t fucked up completely yet is because of Sam and Dean, I can’t handle being back there, seeing you guys, seeing what I put you through...” 

“You didn’t put us through anything Stiles!” She insisted and Stiles shook his head.

“That’s not true, you know that, I told so many lies, over and over, and I nearly got you all killed, but, look, I just, I wanted to say sorry, for, you know, pretending to be in love with you and all that, I mean, you’re awesome, obviously, but, I don’t like you like that, and, I’m sorry if I ever made you uncomfortable by pretending to be.” He explained. 

“Stiles, I don’t care about that, I knew you weren’t really in love with me, it was pretty damn obvious, to me at least, Jackson didn’t realise but he’s an idiot so we can forgive him his ignorance.” She commented and Stiles grinned. 

“Still annoyed he saved you from a Chupacabra?” He asked.

“I had it handled.” Lydia replied and Stiles laughed again, “Honestly, he was trying to act like a damn superhero and he got in the way of my firebombs.” 

“Still using them then?” He grinned.

“A much more refined version, but, yes. All because of a few scratches.” She said dismissively. 

“Isaac said you guys kissed and made up though?”

“Obviously.” Lydia admitted. “So, what have you been doing?” Stiles gave her the same details he’d given his dad, not admitting to the fact that he’d been unconscious for two days or that Fang had stuck around for another three before he’d returned to Stiles’ skin, instead just explaining about the hunt and how everything had gone okay. 

“So, what are you up to now?” Lydia asked and Stiles shrugged.

“I’ve been reading this really cool book about the other bunkers the men of letters built, they’re scattered all over the country, I figure there must be one in Beacon Hills, with it being like a hell mouth or whatever, I’m just trying to narrow down the possibilities.” He explained.

“Well that sounds interesting, how are you planning on doing that? Does it have to be a specific area size? Does it have to be underground? Or could it be somewhere above ground? Although, if there was somewhere that size above ground we’d surely have noticed it before now?” She commented and Stiles smirked.

“Detective Martin is on the case.” He laughed and Lydia laughed in reply.

“Sammy! Stiles! We’ve got a case!” Dean called from the staircase where he was holding a paper looking troubled. 

“Sorry Lyds, I got to run, I’ll speak to you soon.” Stiles replied.

“Okay, be safe.” 

“Always.” Stiles grinned before hanging up the phone, surprised by how much better he felt by speaking to both Isaac and Lydia. 

It turned out their case was a murdered violin teacher, the fourth person to be murdered in that house in the past five years. Stiles had to admit he’d never thought he’d be dealing with ghosts, but, it was kind of cool, even if he got thrown around a little bit, he figured out how to get Fang to appear without losing consciousness and the wolf had been able to grab hold of the ghost, which was so freaking cool it was unreal, pinning it in place until the three of them could escape the house and Fang could leap to safety after them. 

“So, um, burning the bones didn’t work.” Stiles commented, rubbing a hand over Fang’s fur to reassure himself that the wolf was fine. “What’s the next idea?” 

“I think he must be tied to something in the house.” Dean said and Stiles paused.

“What about the violin?” 

“What?” Sam looked at him in confusion.

“He was a violin teacher, right? So, he must have had a violin. I bet it meant a lot to him. Enough to like, tie himself to it somehow maybe?” 

“It’s possible.” Dean admitted. 

The next few weeks passed in a blur, after finding the violin and burning it, the ghost was destroyed, passing on into whatever realm awaited him, they’d returned to the bunker a bit battered and bruised, well, Sam and Dean were, Stiles’ runes had healed him up pretty well. He felt a bit guilty about that, he wanted to help them, wished he could help them, he’d tried multiple times to push some of his magic into them, to heal them, after sixteen attempts he’d been successful, of a fashion, he’d managed to at least heal some of the worst of their wounds before he’d passed out. 

When he regained consciousness, he was greeted by two very annoyed looking Winchester brothers, although Stiles grinned successfully when he realised that neither of them looked nearly as bad as they had done previously. 

“What’s up guys?” He tried, hoping he sounded innocent, knowing it didn’t work when Dean glared at him and Sam rolled his eyes. 

“You’re an idiot.” Sam muttered and Stiles grinned sheepishly. 

“Sorry. But, it worked.” He said triumphantly. 

“Not the point.” Dean grumbled.

Stiles had been practicing ever since, whenever he got a chance, when Dean wasn’t putting him through training drills, when he didn’t go out running with Sam, when they weren’t on a hunt that usually involved at least one of them nearly dying. Stiles was fed up of not understanding how his magic worked, fed up of not putting it to use properly. Yes, he had the control rune now, and, yes, that helped a lot, but, he still didn’t feel like he was using it as best he could, he didn’t know how to heal others, he didn’t know how to summon Fang without losing consciousness, yes he’d done it with the ghost but that was a freak accident, he needed to learn how to do it properly, he didn’t know how to boost his magic when it was low, there was so much stuff he didn’t know and he wanted to figure it out. 

It was what he dedicated himself to over the next few months, he’d slowly but surely began talking to the rest of the pack, he hadn’t managed to speak to Scott or Derek yet, he wasn’t ready to deal with them, he’d murdered Scott’s father and he’d raped Derek, there was no way he was ready to face what he’d done, face their hatred and anger. This way he could believe that there was some chance of a reconciliation at some point in the future, as soon as he spoke to them, he knew that hope would be destroyed and he couldn’t bear it, not yet, no matter what Scott said in his texts to Sam and Dean, Stiles knew the truth, knew that deep down, Scott couldn’t forgive him. Maybe when he was stronger, harder, more able to know that he would be okay without them, that his life would go on without them in it. 

It had taken him six weeks before he could summon Fang at will, he had to kind of clasp his hands together as if he was praying and while focusing on the tattoo on his skin, push them apart and Fang would somehow, miraculously, spring to life from between his hands, the wolf tattoo running down his arm into his palm a moment before he appeared in corporeal form, greeting Stiles with an affectionate nuzzle before hovering nearby for a while or falling asleep in the corner and a few hours later, disappearing and reappearing on Stiles’ skin. Stiles made sure to always keep long sleeve shirts on after that, he didn’t want anyone else to see Fang’s tattoo running around on his skin, that would be kind of hard to explain, as were all the other tattoos, keeping his body covered made sense, not to mention it was easier. 

He was incredibly proud of himself and he knew that Sam and Dean were impressed with him too, he couldn’t help the warmth of triumph that glowed in his chest, he felt like he’d achieved something, felt like he was actually beginning to take control of his life for the first time in, well, forever. 

Apologising to the pack seemed to have settled something inside of him that he’d not realised needing fixing, he had been so terrified that they would hate him for all the things he’d done, all the lies he’d told, and he knew that Derek and Scott would hate him, when he finally worked up the courage to speak to them, but, the others, the fact that they had seemed to forgive him so easily, that he was now speaking to them on an almost daily basis, he felt good, that was too simple of a word to explain it really, but, all the worry and fear and terror and guilt that he’d been holding on to, at least some of it had left him.


	9. Chapter 9

The one-year anniversary of Rafael’s death had been tough, they’d been on a hunt and Stiles was feeling reckless, the guilt threatening to overwhelm him, he’d spoken to Allison earlier that morning, he knew that she’d wanted to talk about what today meant but he refused to even deal with it. He’d told Sam and Dean to go check out the cabins in the woods without him, that he wasn’t feeling well, as soon as they’d left he’d taken the fake ID that Dean had given him, gone to the nearest bar and drank until he could barely stand up and staggered out back towards the motel where they were saying, which, of course, was the time that the goblins decided to attack him. 

Waking up tied to a pole and about to be burned at the stake wasn’t exactly how Stiles had planned on the day going if he was completely honest. Thankfully the goblins hadn’t taken the knife that he’d started strapping up his sleeve and he managed to cut his way free, stumbling out of the flames that had just started to reach his jeans, he dropped to the ground and rolled, effectively putting out the flames even as his stomach heaved, god, he really regretted the amount he’d had to drink, he turned away from the goblins that were staring at him in surprise and threw up into one of the bushes. He held up a finger, indicating that they give him a minute while he threw up everything he’d ever eaten, before swiping a hand across his mouth and turning around to face the goblins. 

“Alright, look, I understand you’re a bit pissed, your meal escaping and all that, but, honestly, so am I. I was trying to have a quiet drink and was happily stumbling back to my bed and you guys ruined that, dragged me out to here.” Stiles said, swinging his arms around to gesture the woods around him, “So, the way I see it, we have two options here…” He began, letting out a growl of annoyance when the nearest goblin launched itself at him before Stiles could even try and talk them out of it. 

Thankfully he’d barely thrown three of them across the clearing before Sam and Dean came barrelling out of the trees, looking at Stiles in surprise before Dean rolled his eyes, pulled his gun and started shooting at the goblins who had regrouped and were renewing their attack. 

They managed to defeat them but Stiles was pretty sure he was still drunk, especially when he’d tried to tackle one of the goblins and missed completely, it was only Sam’s sharp shooting that saved his life, and, when it was all over, he’d thrown up in the bushes for another few minutes, telling himself he was never going to drink again until Dean had grabbed him by the shirt collar and dragged him back to the impala with an amused laugh, telling him about the first time he’d snuck out to get drunk and how his dad had torn him a new one when he found out. 

Stiles had woken up the next morning with the worst hangover he’d ever had to find himself hovering a few feet above the mattress and Sam and Dean both staring at him before Dean just shrugged and went out to get coffee, he was getting used to all the weirdness that came with hanging around with Stiles. 

Stiles had been terrified to move, not sure if he was going to fall instantly or float further to the ceiling, Sam huffed out a sigh, rested a hand on his back and forced Stiles back down to the mattress, Stiles muttering a quiet thanks and then groaning when even that made his head hurt. He was pretty sure Dean and Sam were both extra loud on purpose for the rest of the day, as if they wanted him to suffer through his hangover in the worst possible way. As soon as they’d got back to the bunker Stiles had practically crawled to his room and slept for another twelve hours, thankfully not floating when he woke up buried in his blankets.

“So you can levitate now then huh?” His dad asked the next time Stiles called and Stiles froze, not sure how his dad knew that, he certainly hadn’t told him, “Sam took a picture, you looked dead to the world.” 

“Yeah, too much alcohol will do that to you.” Stiles commented absentmindedly, freezing when he’d realised what he’d said and to whom.

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. I imagine you had a good reason to be out drinking?” 

“Yeah, well, it felt like a good idea at the time, obviously I changed my mind on that when the goblins tried to set me on fire…”

“I’m sorry what!? Goblins! Set you on fire!?” 

“Well, I mean, they were trying to eat me, I think they just wanted cooked meat.” Stiles commented and Noah was silent for a moment, “Dad? You okay?” 

“Yeah, I’m just thinking about the fact you were nearly eaten by goblins.” Noah said sounding stunned, Stiles was almost certain he could hear growling in the background but he chose to ignore it. 

“Well, not nearly eaten, and, they were nice enough to let me puke my guts up in the bushes before they tried to kill me again, so, you know, nothing to worry about.” He tried and he heard the exasperated sigh his dad made down the line. 

“We need to discuss the concept of what I need to worry about, because you being nearly set on fire and eaten is something that seems reasonable to worry about.” Noah frowned.

“Sam and Dean had my back, and, yeah, I could say don’t worry, but, I know you will, so, I won’t tell you not to worry, but, I will tell you that I’m okay, that I can handle myself, and that the goblins are dead.” 

“That doesn’t make me feel that much better in honesty.” Noah replied but he had to accept that his son was going to do his own thing, whatever he wanted, and, so long as he was as safe as he could be, he couldn’t ask for anything else. “I love you kiddo.” 

“You too dad. I’ll call you soon.” Stiles said before he ended the call. 

Stiles still didn’t like using guns, they just didn’t feel right, Dean made sure Stiles always wore his thigh holster when they were hunting, just on the off chance that he had to use a gun as a last resort, Stiles always ensured he had a few knives to hand and, most importantly, his bat, which he’d carved several runes into to make it almost indestructible. 

Stiles would never admit that Dean was right, he knew Dean would never let him live it down, but, when they went up against his third harpy in less than a year that threw Stiles through the air and smashed him into a cave wall, his bat getting dropped somewhere in the process, and his knives were useless against its thickened skin, Fang had tried grabbed the thing and he’d been thrown into the opposite wall, slumping to the ground unmoving, it made the panic swell in Stiles’ chest. Sam and Dean were nowhere to be seen, probably still trying to track this thing through the woods from where it had snatched him from the ground and flown away with him. The gun was a last resort, it was always supposed to be a last resort, but he was so fucking glad he had it, it was the thing that saved his life, it was the thing that tore through the Harpy’s wings and then its face, before dropping it to the floor, not that he’d tell Dean that he’d had to rely on the gun. The whole thing was pretty traumatic for him, mainly because two more Harpy’s came straight for him and captured him, Dean and Sam managed to rescue him eventually, thankfully the Harpy’s hadn’t gone straight for the kill and Stiles had been trying to reason with them that he didn’t want to be their leader or whatever the hell else they wanted from him when the cavalry arrived.

It was another thing he didn’t tell his dad about, only because he knew the man would worry, but, honestly, Stiles was like supernatural caviar or something, everyone seemed to want a piece of him, if he told his dad about every time he got attacked or beaten up or kidnapped by one creature or another, well, his dad would already be on his way to pick him up and Stiles would no doubt be kept in a padded room in the basement where he was safe for the rest of his life. Thankfully the healing rune seemed to do its job, and, most of the time, Stiles’ bruises had already faded by the time they got back to the bunker, even better was that he’d managed to figure out how to heal Sam and Dean’s bruises and cuts without passing out. It was just a matter of making sure he didn’t push out too much magic, he’d managed to refine it, after several attempts that resulted in him passing out and several returns to consciousness to find Dean or Sam or sometimes both of them glaring at him. But, after those earlier unsuccessful attempts, he’d got it down to an art, he could get his fingers to glow along with his eyes and then inched the magic out of him, turning it on and off like a tap until they were healed. 

He was getting better, he still wasn’t ready to face Scott and Derek, he didn’t know that he would ever be, how could he look Scott in the eyes knowing he was responsible for his best friend not having a father any longer? How could he look at Derek and not see the fact that he’d raped the man? That he was as bad as Kate? Or even worse? At least with Kate, Derek had believed he was in love, but with Stiles? He’d been asleep, dreaming, and that demon, that bastard, had taken advantage of that, while wearing Stiles’ face. He completely understood that neither of them would ever be able to forgive him and he just didn’t want to lose them, at least, by not speaking to them, he could pretend that maybe, one day, they’d be able to forgive him. 

Stiles had been pretty religious about keeping his hair short, cutting it every two weeks to make sure there was never enough to pull on, and, when he’d moved into the bunker, Dean had taken over, cutting it for him, always joking with Sam that he’d happily give him the same cut while Sam just rolled his eyes and continued doing whatever he had been doing. He didn’t realise that he was probably due another cut until Dean ruffled his hair one evening, pulling him out of the book he was reading as he startled upright and looked at the older man. 

“You need a haircut kid, you’re starting to look like Sam.” Dean teased and Sam frowned at him.

“I like my hair.” Sam pouted. 

“Yeah, well, give me a pair of clippers and I’ll take care of it properly.” Dean grinned and Sam glared at him whereas Stiles just looked thoughtful.

“I think, maybe, maybe I’m going to grow it out a little bit, maybe?” He admitted, feeling a bit nervous, he didn’t miss the way that Sam looked to Dean significantly, they obviously understood what it meant to Stiles. 

“Yeah, well, if that’s what you want, I think it’ll suit you.” Dean said, sounding a little emotional, and giving Stiles a reassuring pat on the shoulder, before he headed off into his bedroom and reappeared a few minutes later with a pair of clippers, turning them on and waving them in Sam’s direction, it dissolved into some kind of weird play fight and Stiles watched with amusement thinking how lucky he was that he’d met them. 

Stiles stared at his reflection in the mirror, he’d stripped off his shirt and for the first time in years, actually spent time studying himself, his fingers tracing Rafael’s initials that were now partially covered by the rune that gave him endurance, right next to his anti-possession tattoo, the other set, the ones on his ass, stayed covered at all time, he would never let them see the light of day, the Lichtenberg scar that ran down the back of his neck and part way down his spine was disrupted slightly by his control rune, there were more scars, one at his hip and another just below his rib cage that Gerard had left, one at his waist from a djinn and another around his side from a harpy, all of them interrupted by one rune or another, Fang was pacing slightly across his collarbone, but, beneath that, beneath the scars and the tattoos, his shoulders were broader than he remembered, his hips narrower, there were defined muscles there, he wasn’t ever going to have abs like Derek, but, he was okay with that, it wasn’t like he was worried anyone was ever going to see him naked. His hair was still short, but, not as short as he’d kept it for so long, instead, it was long enough to run his fingers through, long enough for it to stick up in a hundred different directions, but, it felt okay. 

His skin was still pale and spotted with moles, his amber eyes seeming to be almost too bright, maybe he could be attractive? In the right light? He shook his head in despair, pulling a shirt back on quickly and throwing himself into his bed, who was he kidding? He wasn’t anything special to look at, and, honestly, the tattoos and scars just made him even more of a freak than he already had been. He knew he’d had to get the tattoos if he’d wanted to stand any chance of beating Metatron, and it still hadn’t been enough, although, he wanted to believe that if he knew as much about his magic then as he did now, then maybe he would have stood a better chance, maybe he would have been able to kill him. 

“Dean told me you’re planning on growing your hair out.” Noah commented one afternoon and Stiles nodded, biting his lower lip knowing his dad couldn’t see him. He’d been thinking a lot recently, about how he should tell his dad everything, or at least some of it, he knew it would upset his dad, it would upset Stiles too, but, he felt like he was starting to rebuild his life, slowly and a little uncertainly, but, it was progress, and, maybe, telling his dad at least some of what happened, maybe it would help them both in some way? He wasn’t sure, but, he did know that every self-help book he’d read over the past few months (and there were plenty of them) had said talking about a trauma was the first step on the road to recovery, and, well, he wanted to move past this, he wanted to not wake up scared when Sam or Dean knocked on his door in the middle of the night because they had a case, he wanted to not flinch every time somebody brushed up against him in a bar, he wanted to be able to say he was a survivor, not a victim, not anymore.

“Yeah.” He muttered quietly. 

“That’s good kiddo, I mean, you look good either way, but, you know, it’s good that you’re comfortable with it, uh, after, erm, with, what happened, that, you’re able to, that, you’re, god, I’m sorry.” Noah rambled and Stiles felt guilt flood through him, he hated that his dad sounded like he was on the verge of tears, he hated that he was responsible. 

“I, it’s, I should have…I hated him touching me.” Stiles whispered in confession and his dad went silent, obviously knowing how important this was to Stiles, “I didn’t know at first, I was so young, I didn’t understand that what he was doing was wrong, and, you were busy with mom, she was in the hospital and you, it’s not that you didn’t have time, I’m not blaming you, it wasn’t your fault, and, um, I didn’t know, it was just, you know, erm, touching at first, making me sit on his lap and, um, touch him and stuff like that.” He paused, he knew what he said next would upset his dad, but, he had to tell him, had to tell him everything, “I told mom. One afternoon when I was in the hospital with her and you were on shift. I told her about how he’d grabbed my hand and put it down his trousers, that I didn’t want to do it, that I didn’t like it, that it felt wrong.” He sniffled slightly, “She told me that Raph…that he was looking after me, that I had to do as he said and I had to behave for him. She seemed so like her old self in that moment, that, I believed her, and, then, the next minute she asked me who I was and I went to the bathroom and cried because I didn’t know what to do.” Stiles took a few steadying breaths, it was odd that now he had started he was finding it hard to stop.

“He didn’t, we didn’t have sex until after, a couple of weeks after mom died.” Stiles explained, feeling a little sick as he spoke, the memories making him almost gasp for breath, “It wasn’t, I didn’t want, I didn’t enjoy it, I didn’t know what sex was, not really, and, it, it hurt.” He choked back a sob, knowing that now he’d started he had to finish, “I asked him to stop, begged him to stop, but, he didn’t, and, then he told me that it had to stay a secret, that Melissa would be mad at me, that you would be mad at me, that Scott wouldn’t want to be friends with me anymore, and, I was scared, so, I kept quiet, and, he kept, we kept having sex. I figured out how wrong it was after a while, I wanted to tell you, but I was so scared, and then I knew I was going to tell you, I had to tell you, I had to get it to stop, get him to stop, except, he knew, somehow, he knew I was going to tell you, and then, then he shot you.” He did let out a sob this time, the memory of his dad lying in the hospital bed fresh in his mind.

“And, I couldn’t lose you, I couldn’t lose you too, and he said that if you died, I’d live with him, that I’d be with him all the time, and, I didn’t want that either, and I was so scared dad, I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t want to lose you, I didn’t want you to hate me, and, I had to do what he wanted, I had to, you understand? Don’t you? That I had to keep you safe. And it wasn’t even just the sex, I hated that part, but, I could maybe handle it, maybe, I don’t know, but, it was the beatings too, he liked leaving marks, he liked how easily I bruised, and, at first, he’d just use his fingers, just grip me tight enough to leave bruises wherever he touched, and then he started using his belt, and I begged for him not to, but, I didn’t know what I could do to make it stop, and then, then, he got a knife and he carved his initials into my skin, on my ass because ‘it belonged to him’ and on my chest, by my heart, so that ‘he’d always be close to my heart’, I swear, I didn’t want him to, I wanted him to leave me alone, and, I always tried to make up excuses so that I wouldn’t be alone with him, but he always found a way to make sure we were alone, you know, like I had extra homework to do, or, he had to go through and check my work because we all knew how easily I got distracted.” Stiles admitted sounding so defeated that it made Noah’s chest ache.

“The day Scott, when he pushed him down the stairs, he’d, we’d been playing a video game in the living room and he told me I had to come get my homework checked, I said it was fine, that you’d check it when we got home later, and Scott told him to stop giving me such a hard time all the time, and Rap…he got so annoyed, told Scott not to backchat him, told him to go to his room, and Scott went, and then he grabbed me by my hair and pulled me upstairs to his office. I shouted at him, told him to get the fuck away from me, I’d only just learned that word at that point, and I felt like such a grown up, swearing at him, I thought it would scare him into backing down, into leaving me alone, it didn’t, he pulled his belt off and pulled my trousers down and bent me over his desk, and,” Stiles let out a heavy sigh, “he hit me, a few times, enough to leave marks and then he handcuffed me to the desk, tight enough that I couldn’t move and he went downstairs and he came back with a knife, and I was so fucking scared, I was terrified, I couldn’t think straight, I just started shouting at him to stop, to please stop, to get away from me, and then he undid his trousers and um, touched himself for a bit, telling me about how I was going to spend the afternoon making it up to him for misbehaving, for making Scott misbehave too, and then he started refreshing his initials, he’d done it a few times, told me that he wanted to make sure they stayed forever, that there was no chance of them fading, because he’d always be with me, and, I must have screamed, pretty loudly, I guess, and, Scott heard, and he came to see what was going on.” 

Stiles knew that this was upsetting his dad, had no doubt that at least some of the pack were listening in, but, he had to tell him, he had to let him know why Rafael had pushed Scott down the stairs all those years ago, had to tell him everything, if they were to have any chance of healing from it.

“Scott was freaked out, he didn’t understand what was going on, and, his dad, he, started talking, shouting at Scott that he shouldn’t come into his office without knocking and the entire time he was doing his trousers back up and undoing the handcuffs and pulling my trousers and boxers back up and clapping his hand on my shoulder, squeezing tight enough that it hurt and I didn’t know what to say, I didn’t know what he wanted me to do, I could still feel where I was bleeding and knew it was staining my boxers and I didn’t know what to say and Scott was staring at me, waiting for me to tell him that it was okay, it was nothing to worry about, and I just, I froze.” Stiles paused, remembering the look of dawning understanding on Scott’s face when he realised what had been going on, when he saw the tear tracks on Stiles’ face, when he noticed the way his best friend was shaking with terror, the way Scott’s hands had clenched into fists, his cheeks flushing red with anger, all of it directed at his father, “Then Scott just, he went crazy, he started screaming at his dad, he grabbed hold of me and dragged me out of the office, telling him that he was going to go to prison and Scott was going to tell Melissa and his dad would be in so much trouble for ever touching me, and, god, I wanted to believe him, so badly, I wanted to believe that he’d protect me, except that Raph…” Stiles cleared his throat, “Rafael grabbed him, shoved him into the wall, and, I’d never seen him so angry, I was sure he was going to kill Scott, so, I grabbed his arm, tried to pull him off and he hit me, hard enough to knock me backwards, and he was telling Scott that if he said a word to anyone that Rafael would kill him, he’d kill his mom, he’d kill me, anyone that Scott cared about would die, and Scott was scared, I could see that, but, he wasn’t backing down, he just kept screaming at him and Rafael started to choke him and I grabbed his arm again and he knocked me backwards again and he mustn’t have realised that he was still holding onto Scott and he just sort of threw him down the stairs.” 

Stiles relived that memory all the time, watching his best friend show the courage that he’d lacked for so long, watching him stand up to Rafael and refuse to back down, and then watching the sheer and utter panic and terror on his face as he was thrown down the stairs, as he realised his dad had thrown him down the stairs and for a split second, Scott had looked so certain that he was going to die, Stiles had been pretty certain too, that Scott was going to die because of him. 

“When Scott woke up he didn’t remember anything, and I thought that was fate, that someone finally knew, that they could help me, but, then they forgot, because I deserved this, because I did something that made it okay for Rafael to carry on hurting me. Except, he left, he left and Scott didn’t remember and he still got to keep his relationship with his dad and I was safe and what was the point in telling anyone? What if I told you and Rafael came back and killed you? It wasn’t worth it, wasn’t worth the risk of losing you just to tell you what he’d been doing. And, what if you hated me? What if you blamed me? What if you told me I should have been braver? I should have been. I should have stood up to him. Like Scott did. I should have refused to back down. But, I didn’t. I caved, every single time. Because I wasn’t brave enough, because I was too weak and too pathetic to stop him, and, even when he came back, I didn’t want to go through it again, but I didn’t know how to stop it from happening without you finding out, so, I tried to make sure I wasn’t in the house with him, I blocked my door so he couldn’t get in, and he tried, god, he tried over and over again, and, I was so scared dad, but, I just, I was sure that you wouldn’t believe me, and, even if you did, that you’d hate me, and, when we went to the station together to see Rachel, he, he touched me, just put his hand on my leg like it was completely normal and I couldn’t breathe and I was terrified and, god, I just, I let you down, because you deserved to know, but, I couldn’t, I couldn’t let you know how messed up I was, how scared I was, I thought if I could hide how scared I was then I was okay, like, fake it until you make it kind of stuff, but, I was wrong, dad, I was so fucking wrong, all the time, because I wasn’t brave enough dad, I’m sorry, god, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry I let you down. ” Stiles said, breaking into quiet sobs.

He was met with silence, his dad cleared his throat several times before he spoke, Noah was trying to get himself under control, stop himself from bursting into tears at his son’s confession, stop himself from screaming in agony because his son had been raped for years, had lived in terror for years, and he hadn’t noticed, he hadn’t helped him, he didn’t deserve Stiles, he didn’t deserve his son’s forgiveness.

The pack had listened to every word of Stiles’ whispered confession, Jackson mumbling the words quietly to Lydia, Allison and Melissa who listened intently. Their faces were filled with despair, every single person in the room seemed to wordlessly agree that Rafael had gotten off too easily, that his death should have been slow and drawn out and painful, that he should have been made to suffer as Stiles had suffered. 

“Stiles, listen to me very carefully,” Noah said seriously, “It was not your fault, it was not your fault in any way kiddo, he, that wasn’t sex, that wasn’t, god, he raped you Stiles, and I should have known what was going on…”

“Please don’t blame yourself dad.” Stiles whispered and Noah took another steadying breath. 

“I don’t Stiles, I blame that bastard. I blame him for taking advantage of a frightened, vulnerable, grieving, child. But I will never, not ever, blame you, not ever and you have never, ever, not once, let me down. I wish I’d seen how scared you were Stiles, I wish I’d seen how much you must have been hurting, but, I didn’t, and, for that, I am truly, utterly, completely, sorry. But it was not your fault. It will never be your fault kiddo, believe me, believe me when I tell you that he blackmailed you, he threatened you, he abused you and he raped you, but none of that is your fault, you are not weak, you are not pathetic, you are the strongest, bravest, most incredible person I know, and I swear to you with every beat of my heart that it was not and will never be your fault, and he got off easy, I should have skinned him alive, I should have made him scream and beg for his life and he should have wished for it to end, begged to die because it would have been more pleasurable.” Noah fumed before realising that he had ranted when he’d wanted so desperately to remain calm. “I’m sorry.” He muttered when Stiles had stayed silent.

“It’s okay.” He muttered a few moments later but he sounded upset, his breath coming harsher than it had been previously and he sounded like he was on the verge of crying.

“It’s not Stiles, I’m sorry, I wanted to be calm, I wanted to be in control and tell you how wrong he was, how brave you have been and how proud I am of you, how much I love you, how I wish I’d protected you better…”

“I didn’t want you to know dad, I kept it secret because I wanted you to be safe. I didn’t want you to know the truth, I didn’t want anyone to know. I didn’t want you to be disgusted by me.” 

“I will never be disgusted by you Stiles, I am so fucking proud of you, you are incredible, you are brave, you are strong, you have the biggest heart I know, you love with your whole soul and I couldn’t ever be prouder of you Stiles, believe me, the last thing I would ever be is disgusted by you. You’re my son Stiles and I love you, nothing will ever change that, nothing.” Noah confessed and Stiles did sob this time, wiping the tears from his cheeks with the sleeve of his hoodie, snuggling closer to Fang who was sitting next to him, his tail wrapped around Stiles so that he felt safe and protected from all sides, safe enough that he could talk about Rafael without having a panic attack. 

“I love you too dad.” Stiles whispered. 

“Good.” Noh said, wanting to say more on the subject but knowing that Stiles wasn’t ready, not yet, the confession he’d just made had taken everything Stiles had, and, pushing now, forcing him to talk about it even further, Noah knew it wouldn’t help, may only make things worse, “Now, tell me about what you’ve got planned for your birthday, it’s coming up in a couple of weeks, do you have any special plans? Can I have your address, so we can send you some presents this year? You did miss your eighteenth after all and I’ll have you know that I intended to spoil you rotten, so, you’ll get double the amount of spoiling this year.” Noah teased and Stiles let out a noise that sounded like it could have been a laugh or a sob, Noah wasn’t sure which.

“Yeah, um, I’ll text you the address, you’ll have to send it to the security deposit box though, we don’t get any post out here.” Stiles replied, still sniffling slightly.

“Okay, well, I’ll get your presents posted out to you then, unless, maybe, you’d want to come home?” He suggested and Stiles sighed.

“I can’t dad. I’m sorry. I wish I could. But I can’t. Not yet.” He muttered, not wanting to explain that he wanted to go home desperately, wanted to hug his dad, wanted to see the pack, apologise to Scott and Derek, beg them to forgive him, but, he had a walking target on his back, and, until he figured out how to stop every supernatural thing in his vicinity wanting to kill him, he couldn’t put his dad in danger like that, he wouldn’t. 

“That’s okay kiddo, whenever you’re ready is fine with me, I love you, so much Stiles, and I’m so proud of you.” 

“Thanks dad.” Stiles muttered, feeling like a knife was wedged in his chest, how could his dad be proud of him? He was a murderer. He’d killed Rafael. He’d taken Scott’s father away from him, and, just on the off chance that his dad forgave him for that, that he didn’t blame him for that, Scott would, he had to, Stiles had killed his father. 

Stiles actually felt a lot better about things over the next few days, he didn’t know if it was because he’d told his dad about some of the things that had happened, but, he thought that might have something to do with it. He knew he still needed to attempt to make amends to Scott and Derek, but, he had no idea where to even start with that, so, for the time being, he’d apologised to the rest of the pack, and they’d all told him repeatedly that he had nothing to be sorry for, and they were talking regularly now, sometimes phone calls, sometimes texts, and, he felt like things were getting better, that he was getting better.

His birthday came around quickly and his dad called first thing to wish him happy birthday, Sam and Dean had bought him a cake and his dad and the pack sang happy birthday down the phone to him while he blew out his candles, it was a bit ridiculous that Stiles felt like bursting into tears but he didn’t care, he just felt really loved in that moment. 

“Did you get your present?” His dad asked and Stiles grinned.

“No, not yet, we’re going to head into town in a minute, get some breakfast and pick it up at the same time.” Stiles explained.

“Alright, call me when you’re about to open it, I want to hear your reaction, because, apparently, you’re really going to like it, according to Lydia at least.” Noah replied and Stiles laughed lightly.

“Sure thing daddio.” He said before ending the call. 

Stiles collected the parcel from the deposit box, smiling happily to himself as he headed across the road to one of the diners and slid into a booth next to Sam. 

“So, you going to call your dad and open it?” Sam asked and Stiles nodded, already pulling his phone out and dialling his dad’s number, putting the call on speaker so both Dean and Sam could contribute to the conversation too. 

Lydia was right, he did like it, in fact, he was kind of blown away by it. It was a bright red hoodie, soft and comfy looking that Stiles was pretty sure he was going to sleep in it forever, except when he picked it up, it was heavier than he expected, the inside lining felt thicker than he would have thought, except, somehow it was still incredibly soft. 

“Um, stupid question, but, did you guys like stash something inside the lining of the hoodie? Because, it feels heavier than it should do?” He asked, his fingers trailing along the join to see if he could find some kind of hidden compartment. 

“See! I told you he’d figure it out!” Lydia said triumphantly, and Stiles shook his head fondly when he heard exasperated sighs over the phone. 

“Alright, so what is it?” Stiles asked, pouting slightly when he couldn’t seem to find anything stashed in the jumper.

“It’s a metal foam,” Lydia explained, “It’s lightweight so it doesn’t weigh you down, but, it’s been developed by scientists to be able to stop armour piercing rounds, I figure, if you’re going out hunting as much as you do, then having something that will stop the odd claw here and there will definitely help, and, it’s not any heavier than a winter jacket, so, it’s not like you’ll feel like you’re carrying a lot of extra weight.” 

“Wow.” Stiles replied, completely at a loss for words, he’d never expected something like this, he was a little overwhelmed if he was honest. “Thanks guys.” 

“Dean and Sam’s are on their way too, you should have them in a couple of days.” Noah added and both of them looked to the phone shocked.

“You didn’t have to do that.” Sam muttered.

“Nonsense, of course we did. We just had to find jackets that were more your style, Jody said that she couldn’t imagine either of you running around with bright red hoodies for some reason.” Noah joked and Stiles let out a sarcastic laugh.

“Oh, ha-ha, I’ll have you know I have a very sophisticated sense of fashion.” He replied, to which Sam and Dean both looked at him in surprise.

“You going to tell us when you get this sophisticated sense of fashion?” Dean teased and Stiles grinned.

“I’m going to grab us some more coffee, you guys want anything?” He asked, already standing up and leaving the booth to head to the main counter.

“Yeah, another coffee and pancakes, dude, I want pancakes!” Dean shouted and Stiles rolled his eyes.

“It’s my birthday! I’m the one who gets pancakes!”

“You can both have pancakes!” Sam shouted and Stiles laughed, turning his back on them to talk to the waitress behind the counter.

“How’s he doing?” Noah asked as soon as Stiles had left.

“He’s okay.” Dean said, watching Stiles’ turned back. “Better than he was anyway. He misses you guys.” 

“He knows he can come home whenever he wants.” Scott chipped in, never willing to speak when Stiles was there, waiting for his best friend to be ready to speak to him. 

“I know he does, it’s just, I don’t know, he still seems frightened of something, although we can’t get him to tell us what.” Sam commented, looking out of the window at the area around them, the car park was almost full, so was the diner, they’d been pretty lucky to get the window booth and he could see four more men coming towards the front door, he honestly wasn’t sure where they were going to sit, the place was packed.

“Okay, I guess, I want him home so badly, but, I want him happy too, and, he seems it, he seems like he’s getting better, that’s all I want.” Noah explained.

“Yeah, well, that’s all we want too, and, I guarantee, he is improving, it’ll just take time, he went through something pretty traumatic, even if you forget all the crap with Rafael, being possessed is no fun ride, but, he’s getting better, I know that.” Dean agreed, looking across at Stiles who was laughing at something the waitress had said, his eyes travelling to the four men who had just entered the diner and his heart rate rocketing, “Stiles!” He shouted in warning, Sam spinning in his seat to what was going on, Stiles turning away from the waitress who had gone as white as a sheet and staring down the barrel of the sawn-off shotgun that was pointed at his face. 

People started screaming in panic, moving towards the back doors and finding them locked, two loud blasts echoed through the room and everyone went silent, the four men looking around the room triumphantly, Dean and Sam both moving their hands slowly towards the guns in the back of their jeans. 

“Alright, now, listen up, this is how it’s going to go, everybody stay still and stay quiet and nobody has to get hurt. Misbehave and we start shooting people.” The man in charge ordered, there were several terrified whimpers and Dean could hear growling coming over the phone that wouldn’t help anyone, he moved slowly, sliding the phone into his pocket, hoping he didn’t disconnect the call but not really caring that much if he did. 

“Good, glad everyone understands, now, all of you, turn out your pockets, put your belongings on the tables in front of you, we don’t want to have to hurt anyone.” A second man ordered, while the other two pulled out bags from their pockets and started sliding everything from the tables into them. “You, open the till.” He demanded of the waitress that Stiles had been talking to. 

“I can’t…” She started to say and the first man moved the gun away from Stiles to point it at her instead. 

“What did you just say!?” He growled dangerously, the waitress looked ready to wet herself in terror. 

“Hey, leave her alone.” Stiles snapped, stepping in between the gun and the waitress and the man laughed. 

“Oh, and what do we have here? Some kid who wants to play at being hero?” He taunted, Stiles’ mind was racing, trying to figure out what magic he could use without exposing himself to the ordinary humans in the diner but that would still be enough to incapacitate these idiots.

“No Stiles.” Dean cursed under his breath, they couldn’t start shooting if Stiles was that close to the gun, it just wasn’t safe. One of the men was stood in front of their table now, looking at Sam and Dean pointedly and Dean sighed, releasing his hold on his gun and going to his jacket to get his wallet.

“Slowly.” The man warned and Dean rolled his eyes, sliding his wallet towards the man. “This is nice, I’m having this too.” He picked up Stiles’ hoodie and Sam snatched at the sleeve.

“No. That’s ours.” He glared.

“Really? Because the way I see it, you’ve got a gun pointed in your face and you’re going to give me whatever I want or I’m going to shoot you and take it anyway.”

“Give it to him Sammy.” Dean warned.

“But it’s Stiles’!” Sam protested.

“Sammy.” Dear growled in warning and Sam let go.

“That’s a good boy Sammy, you should do what your little friend here tells you to do.” The man taunted. 

“Hey! I said turn out your pockets!” The man at the counter shouted and Dean groaned when he saw that it was Stiles who was disagreeing with him.

“Why don’t you make me?” Stiles grinned and even to Dean he looked a little unnerving, his eyes starting to glow with something almost otherworldly.

“No, no, no.” He muttered under his breath, if Stiles started using magic here, everyone would find out that magic existed. “Hey! Um, buddy! You forgot to take my phone!” Dean called out loudly, getting every eye on him, he hoped it would work, and it did, but, what he didn’t expect was for Stiles to use that second of distraction for his advantage, grabbing hold of the barrel of the sawn-off shotgun, shoving it down to the floor away from any innocent bystanders, twisting the man’s grip viciously so that he dropped it, elbowing him in the nose so that he reared away from Stiles and then delivering a roundhouse kick to the face that dropped the man like a sack of potatoes. 

The other three men were already turning their attention back towards Stiles and Dean and Sam moved as quickly as they could, pulling their guns and firing, taking down the first two before they’d had a chance to fire any bullets into the terrified crowd of customers. The third was blocked from their eyesight by Stiles who was turning towards him, pulling his own gun and glaring at the guy, as it was he had a gun pointed at Stiles’ chest and Stiles had his own pointed at the man’s face. 

“Look, let’s talk about this. Sam, Dean, start getting people out of here please.” Stiles said calmly, he could see the man looked ready to pull the trigger if necessary and he didn’t want any casualties if they could avoid it, he could sense movement behind him, knew that Sam and Dean were complying with his orders, that they were getting the innocents out of the way first, the people behind the gunman edged around him cautiously, Stiles giving them what he hoped was a reassuring smile as they made their way past him and then ran out of the door into the safety of the car park, but there were still a few stragglers, trapped in the booth next to the gunman, too terrified to move, which meant Stiles couldn’t use his magic, not yet, “I don’t want to shoot you, so, how about you drop the gun, drop the bag, and we’ll turn you over to the police nice and quietly, or, you can shoot me, and I’ll shoot you, and you’ll end up dead on the floor like your pals behind me.”

“You’ll be dead too.” The man grimaced.

“Maybe, maybe not. You’ve got a nine mil, and you’ve got it pointed at my chest, a shot like that, with the way your fingers are shaking, it’s probably going to clip my shoulder instead, it’s really unlikely to kill me, but, me, well, I’ve got a point forty, I’ve got it directed right in between your eyes and my fingers are as steady as a rock, so, tell me, are you really willing to die for this? For a few hundred quid from a couple of old wallets? Everyone out there in the car park has seen your face, they’ve probably already called the cops, even if you do kill me, you haven’t got enough bullets to kill everyone here, and, my brothers, the ones that shot your friends, they would take you out long before you got another round off. So, are you really going to die for this? Just, drop the gun and we can end this peacefully.” He said calmly, trying to sound in control and not like his heart was about to beat out of his chest. 

“I’ll kill you, are you prepared to die too?” The gunman asked, his voice trembling slightly. 

“We’ve been over this, you’re not going to kill me, so, look, how about I lower my gun and you lower yours at the same time, okay? How’s that sound?”

“So your brothers can shoot me instead?” The man sneered.

“No, no, they’re not going to shoot you, they’re not going to hurt you. Look, you’re scared, I can see that, but those people next to you, they’re terrified too, they’ve done nothing wrong, they’re innocents here, and I don’t want them to get hurt either, so, my brothers are going to lower their guns too, and then I’ll lower mine, you lower yours and we all walk out of here in one piece.” Stiles tried to sound reasonable.

“No, tell them to get out, drop their guns and leave, then we can lower our weapons.” The man replied.

“Okay, that’s okay, we can do that.”

“Stiles…” Sam whined.

“No, Sam, you heard him, okay, just lower your weapons, slowly, and then leave, okay, I’ve got this.” Stiles said, not taking his eyes off the gunman in front of him. 

“Stiles!” Dean complained.

“Dean, I’ve got it. Okay? Go outside.” Stiles ordered, but he could hear both Sam and Dean grumbling as they left. 

“Are you insane!? Get your asses back in there and shoot that bastard!” Derek shouted as soon as they were out of the door, loud enough that Dean could hear him even with the phone in his pocket. 

“And do what?” Dean grumbled, watching through the window as Stiles did his best to reassure the people in the booth without taking his eyes off the gunman. “Can you hear what’s being said?” He asked, pulling the phone from his pocket and holding it up towards the diner as subtlety as he could. 

“The other guy is telling Stiles to lower his gun first.” Derek muttered. 

“Dude, that’s not going to happen, it’s not complicated, lower the gun at the same time as me and we both walk out of here.” He replied. 

“Alright, okay, yeah, we do this together then?” 

“Yeah, together.” Stiles said, able to almost taste the panic flooding through his system, “Okay, one, two, three.” He said, moving his gun slowly towards the floor, it was going well, or, at least he thought so, until one of the customers in the booth shifted nervously and the gunman jumped, his finger pulling the trigger and a shot ringing out, quickly followed by a second shot. 

“Stiles!” Dean screamed in panic, rushing back into the diner, aware of Sam right behind him, and grabbing Stiles by the shoulder, staring at the gunman that lay dead on the floor to the panicked family that were now squeezing out of the booth and towards the door, “Stiles? You okay?” Dean said, moving around to examine Stiles who seemed to have a white-knuckle grip on the back of the seat next to him and was staring at the gunman with horror in his features, “Shit!” Dean cursed when he saw the blood staining Stiles’ t-shirt, “Sam! Sam, grab him!” Dean called in terror, catching Stiles when his legs suddenly gave out as Sam caught him from behind.

“What happened? Is he hit?” Sam said, cursing when he saw the gut wound and applying pressure instantly, “Alright Stiles, it’s okay, you can use the healing rune, can’t you? Just, do, that thing you do.” Sam said sounding panicked.

“Stiles? Stiles can you hear me?” Noah shouted sounded terrified. 

“I shot him.” Stiles said sounding like he was in shock, “I thought he was going to, oh god, oh god, I shot him.” 

“Stiles, it’s okay, just breathe, okay, you’ve got this, just, start healing yourself, okay?” Dean said, shaking him slightly.

“I shot him.” Stiles repeated numbly.

“That’s not important right now Stiles. Just focus. Heal yourself god damn it.” Dean cursed and forced Stiles to look him in the eyes, “Stiles, you need to heal. Do it now.” He growled and Stiles nodded numbly, closing his eyes and scrunching his face up in concentration. They watched with relief as the rune on his chest started to glow and slowly the wound in his stomach started to heal, he was almost finished when two paramedics rushed through the door, taking in the scene and practically pushing Sam and Dean out of the way, Stiles stopped healing himself, knowing he couldn’t allow them to see the glowing rune on his chest, panting slightly from the pain and exhaustion of the bullet wound.

“Sir? Can you hear me? Can you squeeze my hand?” The paramedic asked and Stiles nodded, squeezing the woman’s hand and opening his eyes once he knew they’d stopped glowing red. He became aware of the sirens from outside, of the flashing beacons of the police cars, of the police that were checking the gunmen and finding only the one that Stiles had kicked in the face still alive, the other three had died from their wounds. 

“Gentlemen, you want to tell me what happened here?” One of the officers said to Sam and Dean, Sam turning towards him to explain what had happened while Dean stared at the paramedics working on Stiles.

“I’m okay.” Stiles muttered.

“You’ve got a bullet in your stomach, I don’t think that counts as okay.” One of the paramedics replied sarcastically and Stiles rolled his eyes.

“Nah, I’m pretty sure it was a through and through. I mean, you can check, but, pretty sure I can feel blood on my back too.” Stiles commented and the paramedics both looked at him in shock before checking and nodding their heads.

“Okay, so, no bullet in your stomach, which is good news.” 

“Yeah, told you so.” Stiles grinned, panting slightly still, although it was obvious that colour was returning to his features. 

“Alright kid, let them do their jobs.” Dean grinned, “Listen to your older brother and all that jazz.” He teased and Stiles grinned right back at him.

“Yeah, the older brothers I never really wanted and can’t seem to get rid of.” He replied and Dean shook his head in bemusement.

“Whatever, you wouldn’t want to get rid of us even if you could, we’re your favourites.” He laughed and Stiles grinned at him.

“You’re two of my favourites, but, you’re not the only ones, don’t go getting cocky or you’ll move down the list.” Stiles said, gasping in pain when the paramedic pressed hard on the wound. 

“Is he okay?” Noah asked loudly, Dean had forgotten he had the phone on speaker and Stiles looked at it in surprise, not realising his dad had most likely heard the whole thing and was probably freaking out.

“I’m fine dad, don’t worry.”

“You have a bullet wound, of course I’m going to worry.” Noah replied angrily and Stiles sighed.

“It’s nothing, honestly, I’m fine, don’t worry.” He tried to reassure him, wincing slightly as the paramedics applied more pressure to the wound, he really wished he’d healed himself before they got here so that he wouldn’t have to go to the hospital. 

Dean spent the next ten minutes reassuring his dad and the pack that Stiles was fine, that they’d take him to the hospital and get him seen to, that there was nothing for them to worry about, that Stiles would call them when he got back to the bunker later, before he finally ended the call. Sam had been explaining what had happened to the police, who, thankfully, agreed that the other customers stories matched theirs and so it was obviously a case of self-defence and there would be no need to press charges, however, the man that was left alive, that Stiles had knocked out first, would be going to prison for armed robbery which Sam was relieved about. 

By the time he was done with the police Stiles was being loaded into an ambulance and Dean was hovering nearby nervously, reaching out a hand to Stiles’ shoulder to reassure him it was fine, Sam thought that Dean might be trying to reassure himself more than Stiles if he was honest, and he could completely understand that, he had been worried himself for a few minutes there that Stiles would die. He wanted to go and reassure himself that Stiles was indeed fine, because, they might not be blood brothers, but, Stiles had been right, they were still brothers, they fought and bled for each other, they’d die for each other if necessary, they’d do anything for each other, and, Stiles being hurt, it made him feel sick, he was like a little brother to him and Sam hadn’t protected him, he should have been the one standing there with a gun pointed at him, not Stiles, he should be the one with the bullet wound, not Stiles. He shook his head, thinking about what ifs weren’t going to change anything and Stiles was alive, he was going to be fine, it would be okay.

“You go with Stiles, I’ll bring the impala, I’ll meet you there.” Sam reassured Dean, able to see the worry still marring his older brother’s features even when they knew Stiles was going to be fine. Sam was going to make sure Stiles put on the hoodie as soon as he got out of the hospital and wasn’t allowed to take it off again under any circumstances, he didn’t care if he was being overprotective, Stiles had just been shot, he was allowed to freak out a little bit. 

Stiles was really tired by the time he got back to the bunker, Sam had handed the hoodie him silently and glared at Stiles until he put it on, it was warm and comfy and every muscle in Stiles’ stomach seemed to ache so naturally all he wanted to do was curl up and go to sleep. The hospital had given him some great medication so he wasn’t in too much pain, but he was tired, Dean and Sam had refused to leave his side as they stitched him up and gave him three pints of blood to replace what he had lost, Stiles was kind of glad for that, because, even though he knew he’d already started to heal himself, he was still in pain and probably shock, he had just been shot, and he’d just killed a man, regardless of the fact it had been self-defence, it still didn’t feel good, so, he was grateful that he had both of them by his side, watching out for him. 

He couldn’t wait to get to the bunker and heal himself completely, at the moment it felt like someone was pressing a burning hot knife against his skin and that was with the pain medication, he didn’t want to even begin what it would feel like when the drugs wore off. Dean had wheeled him out to the impala despite Stiles’ protests that he could walk and Sam had helped him into the back seat, his stomach protesting the entire time until Stiles was lay flat on the back seat and grimacing slightly. He started to heal himself as soon as they pulled away from the hospital, ignoring the throbbing pain that seemed to be getting worse and instead focusing on repairing his damaged body, allowing his magic to flood through the healing rune until he could finally breath easily. 

“Better?” Dean asked from the front seat when Stiles sat up slowly. 

“Yeah.” He nodded, his voice wavering slightly with exhaustion. 

“Good. Glad to hear it. Now, next time someone pulls a gun you put them down without hesitation, do you understand me!?” Dean scolded and Stiles nodded pathetically. 

“Sorry.” He mumbled.

“You should be. You could have been killed! You wouldn’t have been able to heal from a bullet to the brain Stiles! What the hell were you thinking!?” Dean shouted, they all knew it was only because he’d been scared, that he was still worried, but, it didn’t make Stiles feel any less guilty. 

“I don’t know, I just, I wanted to help everyone.” 

“By putting yourself in danger? By letting that guy point a gun at you? And don’t think I didn’t see the way your eyes started to glow in there, you were going to use magic!” 

“Only if I could get away with it without anyone noticing.” Stiles mumbled. 

“Yeah, well, it was idiotic. Don’t you dare do anything so stupid again, otherwise I’m taking away your gun and you’ll be on research duty for the foreseeable future. You understand?” 

“Yes.” Stiles sighed sounding defeated and Sam shook his head at his brother’s actions.

“It’s only because we’re worried about you Stiles. You could have died today. Dean’s just upset.” 

“Damn right I’m upset!” Dean commented, “You should have let us just shoot him when we had the chance.” 

“I’m sorry.” Stiles mumbled again, sounding like he was on the verge of tears and Dean felt guilt surge through him, he didn’t want to upset Stiles, but, god damn it, he could have died, they could have lost him, all because he was trying to help people, trying to be a hero. 

They pulled up at the bunker and before Dean could say another word Stiles climbed out of the car, wrapping the hoodie tighter around himself and moving towards his bedroom.

“I’m really tired, I’m going to go to bed.” Stiles muttered, not meeting their eyes before he moved towards his room and shut the door behind him, summoning Fang instantly so that he could curl up next to the wolf, bury his head in the soft fur of his underbelly and sob quietly while Fang nuzzled up against him, whining quietly, obviously hating to see Stiles so upset. 

Stiles wasn’t sure how long he lay there before his phone started vibrating in his pocket and he saw his dad’s name flashing on the screen, he half thought about not answering it, he didn’t want to hear any more disappointment today, but, he knew his dad was worried and he couldn’t put him through anything else by not answering.

“Lo?” He sniffled, wiping the tears from his eyes and holding Fang a little tighter, keeping his eyes scrunched up. 

“Stiles? You okay son?” Noah asked, sounding so filled with worry that Stiles felt so guilty it felt like his heart would shatter from it. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” He said, clearing his throat a couple of times and swiping at his cheeks. 

“You don’t sound fine. You sound upset. Are you in pain? Are you hurting? I thought you would have healed yourself as soon as you got out of the hospital?” 

“No dad, I’m fine, all healed up, no scar in sight.” Stiles attempted.

“So why are you upset? What’s going on kiddo?” Noah asked and Stiles took a deep breath before releasing it slowly.

“Dean yelled at me. I think he’s really mad at me.” Stiles confessed in a hushed whisper.

“Dean won’t be mad at you kid, he cares about you, both of them do.” Noah said, doing his best not to hang up the phone, call Dean and scream at him for daring to upset his son. 

“I know, Sam said it was just because Dean was scared, because I could have died. But, I was just trying to do the right thing, I was just trying to stop anybody from getting killed.” Stiles muttered, fresh tears in his eyes.

“I know you were Stiles, and you did, you saved everyone in there today, you did that, you should be proud of yourself.” Noah replied reasonably.

“I got shot dad.” Stiles pouted.

“Yeah, yes, you did. It’s not pleasant, is it?” Noah asked and Stiles let out a half laugh.

“No, it really isn’t. Thank god I could heal myself, I really wouldn’t want to go through weeks of that.” He admitted and Noah laughed.

“Me neither kid, it sucks, but, you didn’t have to, you’ve healed, you’re okay, and you did good today, you stayed calm, you got everyone out of there, unhurt, because of your actions. I’m damn proud of you kid.” 

“Thanks dad.” Stiles muttered, still feeling like he was on the edge of tears, not liking that Dean was mad at him. 

“So, not your best birthday then?” Noah joked and Stiles laughed, god, he’d forgotten it was still his birthday, it had been a long day. 

“Better than last years.” He admitted a few moments later. 

“Oh really? Why? What happened last year?” Noah asked, trying, and failing, to sound casual. 

“Nothing too bad.” Stiles lied, he wasn’t going to tell his dad about the ghoul that had nearly ripped him apart before Stiles had been able to kill it and that he’d spent two days with a dislocated shoulder before he’d finally managed to pop it back in before passing out from the pain. 

“There’s several people here who are telling me that you’re lying, but, I’m not sure I want to know, I already worry enough about what you get up, so long as I know you’re okay and alive right now, I think that’s all I need to know.” Noah replied and Stiles nodded.

“I think that’s probably a good idea.” Stiles agreed, “How was your day? Did you do anything interesting?” He asked, trying to change the subject slightly, his exhaustion setting in as he snuggled back into Fang, closing his eyes and listening to his dad’s words, letting them lull him to sleep easily.

Noah smiled to himself when he realised that Stiles had fallen asleep on the phone, he must have been exhausted, he’d been telling the truth when he told Stiles that he was proud of him, but, honestly, hearing his son’s voice, hearing panicked screams and gunshots, not knowing what was happening other than the fact it was bad and he couldn’t help, Noah thought he might have been having a heart attack, he couldn’t draw in enough air, it felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest and he just couldn’t focus on anything other than the fact that Stiles had a gun pointed at him and Noah could do nothing to save him. 

Melissa was the one who talked him through the panic attack, he hadn’t realised that that was what had been happening and he hated that Stiles had gone through multiple panic attacks alone, without anyone to help him, without anyone to sit with him and wait for it to pass, another way he had let his son down, god, would he ever stop learning just how much he had failed his kid over the years? 

Hearing that Stiles was okay made everything a little easier, he could breathe properly again, even if his heart was still going too fast, but, Stiles was okay, he was going to be fine, and, he couldn’t overreact, his son needed him to be the calm one, be the one in control, Stiles needed to know that he could tell Noah anything and it wouldn’t change his opinion on him at all, that, to him, Stiles was great and would always be great and nothing and nobody would ever change his opinion on that. 

As soon as Stiles had fallen asleep, he’d ended the call and dialled Dean, gritting his teeth in annoyance at the older man. 

“Noah.” Dean answered in greeting, sounding exhausted, he was sat in the main room, a bottle of beer on the table in front of him, Sam had gone to bed a while ago and Dean had barely even said goodnight, stewing in his own thoughts, he knew he’d upset Stiles, but, couldn’t the kid see it was because Dean cared about him? That he didn’t want anything to happen to him.

“You yelled at my son!?” Noah growled and he could visualise the way Dean winced from his voice. 

“It wasn’t like that, I mean, okay, yes, I yelled at him, but, he put himself in danger unnecessarily.” Dean replied, as if he didn’t feel guilty enough about that, he now had Noah yelling at him too. 

“You don’t get to yell at him for saving people’s lives!” Noah shouted.

“Right, sure, I don’t yell at him for putting his life at risk for strangers!? Are you kidding me!? You do know your son, don’t you? You do realise that he doesn’t give a damn about looking after himself? I have to look out for him! I have to make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid that’s going to get him killed!” Dean shouted in reply, jumping up from the table and pacing across the room in agitation. 

“Well nobody made you do that! You don’t have to look out for him! Send him home! Tell him he has to come home and I’ll look after him instead!” Noah practically screeched.

“We both know that’s not a good idea, Stiles isn’t ready to come home, you know he isn’t.” 

“I don’t care! I’m not leaving him with you if you’re going to shout at him and upset him when he’s already so fragile!”

“He isn’t fragile Noah, he’s the strongest kid I know, he bounces back from everything that’s thrown at him. Don’t think for one second that just because I shouted at him that I don’t care about him, that I wouldn’t die to protect him.” Dean replied angrily. “I shouted because I care, because I care if he lives or dies, because I’m not losing him just because he doesn’t see how incredible he is and doesn’t give a damn about throwing himself into the path of danger.” 

“And you’re trying to say I don’t care about him? That we don’t care if he does something idiotic trying to help everybody else even if it means putting himself in harm’s way!?” Noah argued.

“No, of course not! I know you love him! I know you care about him! But you’re not the only ones! I care about him too! I love him too!” Dean shouted and there was a sudden silence.

“You love him? Love him how?” Noah asked suspiciously and Dean rolled his eyes.

“Not like that. No. Don’t go getting any stupid ideas. I love him like a little brother, like I love Sammy. We both love him like a brother, Stiles was right about that. He’s family. I’d do anything he asked if it was something I could do, and I’d still give it my best shot if it was something I couldn’t. I’d go to war for him, I’d fight for him, I’d die for him, so, don’t try and twist it into something it’s not. I care about him. Just like I care about you guys. But, I’m not there to stop you guys from doing something stupid, I am here, I can stop Stiles, and I’ll protect him with every breath in my body even if it means I upset him.” Dean explained, freezing when he turned on his heel and saw Stiles staring at him from the doorway, his mouth hanging open in shock and a faint blush on his cheeks. “Shit.” Dean muttered feeling like the biggest idiot on the planet.

“What?” Noah asked in confusion just as Stiles moved forwards, pulling Dean into a hug and holding on tightly. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I love you too big brother.” Stiles muttered into his chest and Dean felt all the guilt drain out of him, wrapping his arms around Stiles’ shoulders and holding him for a moment. 

“Love you too kiddo, just, be more careful, please. I don’t want anything to happen to you.” Dean mumbled and Stiles nodded firmly, pulling away from Dean and looking at the phone in his hand before taking it from him. 

“Hey dad, sorry for falling asleep on you.” Stiles said quietly.

“Don’t worry kiddo, I figured you needed the sleep.” Noah replied calmly, still a little annoyed at Dean but he wasn’t going to cause Stiles any further upset right now. 

“Dean and I are cool now, so, you don’t need to be annoyed at him anymore.” Stiles whispered.

“I’m not.” Noah lied and Stiles laughed.

“Sure, of course you’re not.” He said sarcastically. “Look, dad, I’m sorry I scared you too, I know I did, and, I don’t like that I did, and, I swear, I will do my best to make sure I never scare you like that again, okay?” 

“Okay.” Noah agreed.

“Good, so, don’t be mad at Dean, I scared him too.” 

“Fine.” Noah grumbled.

“Great. Dad? I love you.” Stiles said seriously.

“I love you too kiddo. Look after yourself, and your brothers.” He said and Stiles laughed.

“You heard that?” He teased.

“Yeah we did. I didn’t know I’d gained an extra two sons while you were away.” 

“Of course you have. I mean, obviously, I’m always going to be your favourite because I’m the youngest, but, Sam has that whole middle child angst going on and Dean is just a grumpy guts because he’s the oldest.”

“You’re being ridiculous.” Dean grumbled.

“See.” Stiles teased and Dean rolled his eyes.

“Whatever, I’m going to bed.” 

“Night, see you in the morning.” Stiles replied. “I’m going to head to bed too dad. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” 

“Okay, night Stiles, sleep well.” 

“I’ll try.” Stiles replied before ending the call and handing the phone back to Dean, “Thanks, and, I really am sorry for scaring you.”

“I’m sorry for yelling at you too. We good?” Dean asked and Stiles nodded, a wide grin on his lips as he headed into his room, feeling better even if he was still exhausted, he’d only woken up because he’d heard Dean shouting and wondered what was going on, leaving Fang fast asleep on his bed and heading out to see what was going on. He knew that Sam had said it was only because Dean had been worried, but, he’d had no idea quite how much the older man cared about him, and he felt guilty that he’d been the cause of so much upset, he knew he had to try harder to make sure he didn’t let them down in the future.


	10. Chapter 10

Stiles was sat in the main room, a book in front of him despite the fact he hadn’t turned the page in a good hour, rubbing Fang’s head absentmindedly, his thoughts elsewhere, he was thinking of his dad, of the pack, of home, he thought maybe, maybe it was time, time to face his demons as it were. He was so distracted he didn’t even notice Sam sitting down next to him until he bumped his shoulder into Stiles’ and Stiles blinked a few times and looked at him. 

“Yeah?” He asked. 

“Did you hear a single word I just said?” Sam smirked and Stiles shrugged. 

“What’s going on Sammy?” Dean asked sliding into a chair across from Stiles, depositing three plates in front of them that were stacked high with pancakes and Stiles dug in hungrily. 

“Yovegtsrusfeon.” Stiles replied through a mouthful of pancakes and Sam looked at him with wide eyes whereas Dean just looked faintly amused. Stiles swallowed the mouthful he had and swiped a hand across his mouth before trying again, “You’ve got your serious face on.” Stiles clarified. 

“That’s because we’ve got a case, which, you’d know if you’d been listening to me.” Sam teased. 

“What kind of case?” Dean asked. 

“A witch, I think, mysterious deaths, different locations, different types of deaths, I don’t know, something makes me think witch, but, I can’t say for definite.” Sam admitted, already spinning the laptop around so that Stiles and Dean could see the information he had. 

“It’s thin Sammy.” Dean commented and Sam shrugged.

“I know, but, it’s better than sitting here bored.” Sam replied and Dean looked to Stiles who shrugged before wolfing down more of his pancakes.

“Fine with me.” Stiles said, finishing off his pancakes with gusto, “Ten minutes and we’re ready to go?” 

“Yep.” Dean confirmed, finishing his own pancakes and pushing his chair away from the table, “Let’s do this.” He said, wandering towards his own room and disappearing through the door.

Stiles should have figured that things would go to hell, of course when he was thinking about going home, when he was actually thinking about facing his past, that life would come around to kick him in the balls, because of course things were never easy with him. 

The hunt was supposed to be simple, it was supposed to be a witch, it was supposed to be easy, even though their hunts rarely ever ended up being as easy as they’d hoped, but the plan was to track down whoever the witch was, stop them, job over. Then maybe Stiles could talk to Sam and Dean, ask them about maybe visiting Beacon Hills under the guise of looking for the men of letters bunker, he knew they’d probably see straight through it, but, if things didn’t work out how Stiles hoped, if Scott hated him, if Derek refused to allow him in or near the pack, which he would completely understand, at least they could leave again. 

They’d been in a bar, discussing what few facts they’d had on the case, they’d been at it three days and still hadn’t found anything concrete, Stiles hadn’t been sleeping very well, he was worried, if he went home, if Scott and Derek rejected him, he’d never be able to return home again, he couldn’t make them uncomfortable, they deserved to be able to live their lives without seeing Stiles and the constant reminder of what he’d done to them. 

“So, I was thinking,” Sam began, “When we finish this thing, when we solve the case, we’re only about a day’s drive from Beacon Hills.” He said uncertainly and Stiles froze, he’d been thinking about it, of course he had, but, he panicked, he’d been planning on how to say it, planning about what he’d say to Sam and Dean, he hadn’t expected them to bring it up first, he wasn’t prepared, he wasn’t ready.

“I’m going to head back to the motel, get some sleep.” Stiles said abruptly, getting up from his seat and moving towards the door.

“Hey Stiles, wait up, come on buddy.” Dean said moving after him.

“No, it’s fine, you stay here, discuss the case, I just need to be alone.” He said, turning his back on them and leaving the bar, heading across the car park to the motel at the other side. He’d only just got his key in the door when something hard hit him in the back of the head and everything went black.

“We shouldn’t have pushed him.” Dean commented as soon as Stiles had left the bar.

“I know, but, we both agreed, we’re this close and he’s so much better than he was, we had to at least suggest it.” Sam mumbled.

“We should have waited until he was ready to talk about it, damn it, I knew this was a bad idea.” Dean muttered.

“Dean, breathe, it’s okay, just give him some time to get over the shock, maybe he’ll think it’s a good idea?” Sam suggested and Dean shook his head in disbelief at his brother’s optimism before returning to the case. 

“So, what do we know so far? Other that the three unexplained deaths, one decapitated and the body burned beyond all recognition, one gutted and one that looked like they’d been carved like a Thanksgiving turkey?” Dean grunted, changing the subject and praying that Sam was right. 

“Not to mention they all went missing for at least a week before they turned up dead in their own homes.” Sam commented, “I mean, that’s weird, right? First off, their trip is extended or they are going away for a few days or whatever, then, when they don’t turn up after a couple of days, their partner or neighbour or whatever reports them missing, the police search the houses, nothing there, then a week later, the police go back and find the victims lying dead in the middle of the living room. It’s weird, why would the witch take them back there when she’s finished with them? It makes no sense.”

“Maybe it’s not a witch. I mean, what if it’s just a human serial killer? Wouldn’t be the first time.” Dean suggested.

“I guess, I just, nothing about this case makes sense. I feel like we’re missing something important but I just can’t see it.” Sam said unhappily.

“You’re tired Sammy, we all are. A decent night’s sleep and we’ll be able to figure this out, we always do.” Dean reassured him. 

They chatted for a little while longer, wanting to give Stiles a bit of space, give him a chance to maybe think about Sam’s suggestion, before they finally called it a night and headed across to the motel. 

The first thing they noticed was that Stiles wasn’t there, the second was that his bag was gone and the third was a note on the bed. Dean snatched it up hastily, ‘I’m sorry, I’m not ready’ it read, he cursed, scrunching the paper in his clenched fist, he knew, he knew they shouldn’t have pushed him and now he was gone. Dean stormed out of the room, throwing himself into the impala and Sam jumped into the passenger seat and then they were squealing out of the motel car park, Dean wasn’t sure where he was driving too, he just prayed he’d be able to find Stiles walking along the street towards the bus station, he had to find him, they couldn’t let him run away from them.

By the early hours of the morning Dean was going out of his mind, Stiles’ phone was off, he was nowhere to be seen, they didn’t even know where to start looking and, even worse, the police had just called them about the body of a fourth victim being found in their home, so the case here was far from over. 

“We need to call Noah.” Sam said when they entered the motel room and Dean looked ready to collapse into the bed.

“We will do. In the morning. Maybe he’ll have calmed down and come back by then. I don’t want to worry the guy unnecessarily.” Dean replied and Sam nodded, sinking into his bed and closing his eyes, guilt running rampant through his body, he’d scared Stiles into leaving them, it was all his fault, god, Dean and the others were all going to hate him.

Neither of them slept, both of them waiting for the sound of the door cracking open, for Stiles’ mumbled apology about overreacting, Sam wanted to hug him, tell him it was okay, he just needed him back, needed him safe. By seven in the morning they knew Stiles wasn’t coming back, they knew they were going to have to call Noah, tell him that Stiles was missing, they knew he wouldn’t take it well, but, they had no other choice. It had to be done. 

“Dean? Everything okay?” Noah grumbled when he answered the phone, knowing it wasn’t like them to call so early. 

“No, Stiles, he’s run off.” Dean said through gritted teeth, knowing there was no easy way to break the news.

“Run off? What do you mean?” Noah replied, sounding suddenly a lot more awake, like he was on the edge of panicking. 

“I mean, he’s run off, we were on a case, we’re only about a day’s drive from you guys, we suggested maybe coming to see you when the job was done and he ran out. His bag is gone. We can’t find him.” Dean explained.

“But…I don’t…why? I thought he was doing better? Why would he run off?” Noah said sounding terrified.

“I don’t know. We just suggested coming home to see you guys, we didn’t push, didn’t pressure him, there’s no reason why he would react like this, but, he’s, he doesn’t always react how you’d expect him too. Maybe he just needs a few days to clear his head. We’ll get back to the bunker once this case is done and he’ll be there, pretending like nothing has happened.”

“You’ve tried calling him?”

“Yeah, his phone is off.” Dean replied, “He’ll be fine though, you know Stiles, he’s more than capable of handling himself, I just, you needed to know, I mean, maybe, maybe he’ll come see you guys? I don’t know? I just, I don’t know where he is.” 

“We could come to you. See if the wolves could track his scent or something?” Noah suggested.

“We’re pretty sure he took a bus, I don’t think there’s any chance of them tracking him, besides, you’ve tried that before, Stiles knows how to hide when he doesn’t want to be found. Just, give us a few days, we’ll finish this hunt, go back to the bunker and I’m almost certain he’ll be there. But, we’ll keep you in the loop, we hear from him you’ll be the first to know.” Dean reassured him.

“Alright, I’ll, um, I’ll tell the others, and, we’ll keep trying his phone, maybe I can track it from the station or something, but, you’ll call? As soon as you hear from him?” 

“I promise. He’s probably just freaking out a bit. He’ll be at the bunker, or, he’ll come back here. I swear to you, he will be fine.” Dean tried to reassure Noah, hoping he could reassure himself in the process, if anything happened to Stiles, he didn’t know what he would do. 

Derek rang less than ten minutes later which didn’t really surprise Dean, the Alpha was pissed to say the least, shouting at Dean and Sam that they were supposed to be looking after Stiles, that they were supposed to be making sure he was okay. Eventually Dean managed to calm him down, but it took a lot of doing, if they hadn’t already known that Derek was crazy about Stiles it was blatantly obvious after that phone call. Dean reassured him in the same way he had Noah, that as soon as they heard from Stiles they’d call, that he’d be at the bunker in a few days, or that he’d come back to them here. They promised Stiles would be fine and eventually Derek grumbled in agreement but it was obvious he still wasn’t happy. 

Three days passed and Dean and Sam were both fed up, snapping at each other in their exhaustion, they hadn’t heard from Stiles, although they’d been keeping the pack regularly updated, their case didn’t seem to be going anywhere, the fourth victim had disappeared in the same circumstances only to reappear a week later, dead in her living room with her throat slashed and her stomach torn apart. 

“What if there’s something on the bodies that we aren’t supposed to see?” Sam asked from where he sat on the edge of the bed as Dean stumbled towards the shower. Dean groaned as his phone started ringing and he headed into the bathroom, calling for Sam to grab it. When he came out ten minutes later Sam was discussing the case with Noah and the rest of the pack on speaker while he rummaged through the paperwork they had.

“So you think this witch or whatever is leaving some kind of marks on the body and that’s why she’s going to such extremes to damage them after death?” Peter queried and Sam nodded. 

“Exactly. The first guy, he was decapitated and his body burned, the second had her guts torn out, the third was skinned and the fourth had her throat slashed and her stomach torn apart.” Sam explained. “The coroner said they were all dead before the injuries were inflicted, although he couldn’t find an actual cause of death, and that they’d been dead for a few days before the body was dumped. So, maybe, it’s to cover up whatever marks she made when she was casting her spell or whatever?” He suggested looking to Dean who shrugged, searching around the room for his other boot, where the hell was it?

“It makes sense, but, how are we going to figure out what spell she’s doing if we can’t even see the marks?” Lydia asked and Dean shrugged.

“I don’t know. But, maybe the fact there’s no obvious signs of death, maybe that’s the key?” Sam offered, it was clear he just needed somebody to bounce ideas off and Dean was no good before at least two cups of coffee. “Check under the bed.” He sighed when Dean was still wandering around with only one boot on.

“It sounds like she has some kind of pattern though, man, woman, man, woman, meaning the next victim should be a man.” Boyd chipped in.

“Yeah, and, from the timescale you’ve given, she picks out her next target and then leaves the body of her previous victim the same night, so, either, she takes the next victim, then dumps the one she’s been holding, or, she goes and dumps the body and then grabs the next victim, so, chances are, she’s already got her next victim, and there’s the possibility that he is already dead.” Noah added. 

“Sam…” Dean whispered sounding terrified and Sam looked up at Dean who was holding his boot in one hand and Stiles’ bat in the other. Sam’s mouth dropped open in terror, there was no way Stiles would leave his bat behind, not a chance, they practically had to hide it from him on a few occasions. Sam’s mind was racing as new information fell into place, Stiles hadn’t run away, he’d been taken. 

“Fuck.” He cursed, sounding rightly panicked.

“What’s going on?” Derek asked and Sam opened and closed his mouth a few times, unsure how to even begin to explain just how badly they’d fucked up. They just stared at each other, at the bat in Dean’s hands, fear running through their bodies because Stiles had been missing for three days and they had no idea what had happened to him, why the hell hadn’t he already used his magic or Fang or his fighting skills or, fucking, anything to get back to them? What if he was already dead? What if she’d already killed him? 

“Sam? Dean? Are you still there?” Scott asked and Sam cleared his throat.

“Stiles.” Sam muttered.

“What?” Noah said in confusion.

“Stiles is missing. He didn’t run away. He can’t have done. He left his bat. He’d never leave his bat.” Sam explained. 

“What!?” There were several voices all sounding terrified and like they still didn’t understand what the hell they were on about. 

“Whoever this bitch is, she took Stiles, she packed a bag to make it look like he left and she took him. There is no way in hell he left his bat behind, even if he packed in a hurry.” Dean growled, shoving his boot on and clenching the bat tightly. “She’s going to fucking die.” 

“How?” Sam asked, “How the fuck do we find him?” 

“I don’t know Sammy, but, we will.” Dean reassured him.

“We’ll be on the next flight out to you.” Noah said determinedly and Dean wasn’t going to argue with that, they’d need all the help they could get. He was just about to reply when suddenly the whole room started to shake, car alarms started blaring and dogs were barking in the distance, they were having a freaking earthquake!

Dean shoved Sam towards the bathroom doorway, both of them standing under it as they waited for the shaking to stop, looking at each other with fear, the whole room seemed to light up as something lit up the skyline outside and Dean moved towards the window cautiously. There was a beam of red light shooting skywards maybe half a mile from them, it couldn’t be a coincidence, Sam approached the window, staring at it in awe.

“Stiles.” He muttered in shock before he turned and ran from the room, ignoring the way the room was still trembling, they had to get to him, they had to find him before that beam cut out. 

“What’s going on!?” Derek was practically screaming but Sam was ignoring him as he ran out of the motel room, rounded the corner and sprinted in the direction of the beam of light, knowing Dean was right behind him, ignoring the howling of car alarms, ignoring the way the world seemed to be shaking around them and he should be terrified of a building collapsing on him but all he could think about was getting to Stiles before it was too late.

Dean overtook him when Sam skidded around the next corner and lost his pace when he had to dodge a brick that was falling from one of the buildings. Dean glanced back to make sure he was okay but Sam waved him on, they had no idea how long the beacon would last and they needed to get to Stiles before it vanished. 

Dean ran straight towards the abandoned warehouse that the beacon was blasting from, not caring about his own safety as he ripped open the side door and ran in, the ground still shaking around them. 

“Stiles!” Dean called out in horror. Stiles was dangling from two chains that came down from the ceiling, his arms pulled apart far enough that it looked like his shoulders might have been dislocated, his head was hanging down and his eyes were closed, the light was blasting out of Stiles, lighting up the entire warehouse but it seemed to be focused mainly from his lower ribs. He had several symbols that looked to be carved into his chest and stomach and he was covered in blood, he was alive, but barely. 

There was a woman kneeling on the ground in front of Stiles, she seemed to be almost absorbing the light that Stiles was putting out, but, more importantly she seemed oblivious to the fact that Dean was there. He surged forwards, pulling his angel blade from his jacket and slamming it through the back of her neck, she dropped to the ground dead, her arms still outstretched and a look of shock on her face, the red beacon stopping abruptly and the ground stilling under their feet. 

“Oh god!” Sam called out, rushing past where Dean was still kneeling by the dead witch and going to Stiles, “Stiles? Stiles, can you hear me?” He said, checking for a pulse and relaxing when he felt one thrumming under his fingertips. “He’s alive.” He said, not sure if he was talking to Dean or to the pack that were still at the other end of the phone. “Stiles? Stiles!” Sam said, grabbing hold of him when Dean undid the chains and Stiles fell limply to the ground. 

“Stiles? Kiddo? Open your eyes, open your eyes for us, come on.” Dean pleaded, examining Stiles himself and looking at him in worry, “What the hell did she do to you?” He said, his fingers trailing over the marks on Stiles’ body.

“Is he okay?” “What’s happening?” “What do you mean what did she do?” “Is he alright?” The questions flooded over the phone and Dean wasn’t sure he had any kind of answer for them, he didn’t know what the hell to tell them, he didn’t know what she’d done to Stiles, but he was alive, he was breathing, that’s all that mattered right now, they could deal with the fact that Stiles had caused an earthquake later. 

“We need to get out of here. People will have seen it. They’ll be coming.” Sam whispered, scooping the unconscious Stiles up into his arms and carrying him back towards the front of the warehouse where there was already a crowd gathering, “Shit.” 

“Alright, wait here. I’ll go get the car.” Dean muttered, running out of the back of the warehouse and sprinting back towards the motel where he’d left the impala, ignoring the car alarms that were still going off or the destruction the earthquake had caused, the evidence clear for him to see. He ran like the devil himself was chasing him, flinging himself into the impala and racing back to the warehouse as fast as he could, ignoring the looks of disbelief from people that were out on the street. He parked up around the side of the warehouse, running back in and shouting to Sam who had blockaded the front door to stop people from getting in. Sam scooped Stiles back up and carried him out to the impala, Dean grabbed Stiles’ belongings that had been discarded in a corner of the warehouse, Sam practically fell into the back seat with Stiles as Dean drove them out of there as quickly as he could, he saw several people taking pictures of the car and of him and he knew that they’d been acting suspiciously, they needed to get out of town and quickly. 

“Stay with him. I’ll grab our stuff.” Dean ordered Sam, running into the motel room and shoving their belongings back into their bags as quickly as he could before throwing them in the boot of the impala and driving off again with a squeal of tyres. “How’s he doing?” Dean asked.

“I’ve managed to stop most of the bleeding but we need to get him somewhere where we can treat his injuries properly. The bunker is three days drive at least. Head to the next town, go to the closest motel, we’ll get a room and give him a chance to heal.” Sam replied and Dean nodded his head in agreement. 

“What bleeding? What did she do to him?” Derek growled.

“We don’t know. Some kind of spell, there’s cuts, quite a few of them, they look like they’re in some kind of pattern, maybe Rowena might be able to tell us?” Sam replied. 

“Good idea. Take some pictures then send them to her. We need to know what the spell did and if it’s likely to have any after effects.” Dean agreed.

“I’m on it.” Sam said, already taking pictures on his phone.

“But, he’s okay? He’s not dying?” Noah said sounding calmer. 

“No, he’s breathing, his pulse is steady. It’s kind of like when he’s healed one of us, like he’s just unconscious. Like he needs to sleep to recover.” 

“Alright, will you call us when he wakes up?” Noah asked.

“We’ll get him to call you, okay?” Dean replied and Noah thanked him before ending the call, knowing they needed to concentrate on getting Stiles to safety. 

Dean pulled into the nearest motel in the next town, getting them a room around the back so that they could carry Stiles in without anyone seeing. Dean grimacing when they cleaned him up and saw the damage was more substantial than they’d realised, the symbols were cut pretty deeply, but he had more cuts around his wrists that looked like they were infected, there were other cuts and bruises to his face and body as if she’d beaten him too, and he was running a fever, they had no idea what damage had been caused by the spell, no idea what it was supposed to have done. 

Rowena called almost twenty-four hours later, explaining the spell was a basic one, simple but effective, it increased the witch’s power by draining energy from her victim and converting it into power, however, she obviously hadn’t accounted for the power that Stiles already had, when she’d tried to drain his energy, she’d accidently tried to drain his power too, his magic had responded to that, it had fought back, that was what had caused the earthquake and the beacon of light. Once the spell was cut off, when Dean killed the witch, the magic stopped protecting itself and the earthquake stopped and there was no need to broadcast Stiles’ location anymore as whatever had been trying to harm him was defeated. 

They were all a little amazed at that fact, but, it was good to know that Stiles’ magic had defended him even when he was unconscious, they just weren’t sure why Fang hadn’t appeared to save or at least help Stiles this time. The earthquake was all over the news, it had come in at a seven on the Richter scale and several people had been injured, although, thankfully, nobody had died, Dean knew Stiles would blame himself for that if he found out.

“Still no change?” Noah asked two days later and Dean muttered the affirmative, “Well, alright, we can’t come to you, not at the moment, but, in a few days, when things have settled here, when it’s safe, we’ll come to you, okay?” 

“It’s not safe now? What’s going on Noah?” Dean asked in worry, what was going on in Beacon Hills to have Noah spooked? Not much spooked the man, not anymore.

“I’ll tell you about it later. But, for now, keep him safe, okay?” 

“Yeah, we will do. I promise.” Dean replied before the call ended, he couldn’t help but worry, what the hell was going on? 

Stiles woke up at the end of the third day just when Dean was really beginning to panic, the fact Stiles’ fever had finally broken was good news, but, the injuries didn’t seem to be healing and he didn’t know if they should be taking him to a hospital. Sam had gone out to get some more bandages so that they could rebind some of Stiles’ injuries and Dean was watching the television, his gaze shifting to Stiles on the bed every ten seconds or so. It was during one of these quick glances that Dean noticed Stiles’ eyes had opened, even if he hadn’t spoken and Dean jumped out of his seat, moving to the bed and gripping Stiles’ hand tightly. 

“Stiles? You okay?” Dean asked, Stiles blinked a few times, his eyes glowing a bright red that refused to fade, and he turned his head towards Dean, gritting his teeth when his whole body seemed to throb in pain.

“What happened?” He croaked, feeling like utter crap, the last thing he remembered was that witch carving the symbols into his flesh, then everything had gone black. 

“You got kidnapped by the witch. She cut you up pretty bad, but, she’s dead.” Dean said, handing Stiles a glass of water, stroking his hair softly and discreetly checking his temperature, “I need to call Sammy, then your dad, everyone has been pretty worried about you.” He said pulling out his phone.

“I didn’t think you were going to find me.” Stiles whispered and Dean felt his heart breaking, how could they have been so stupid? Why hadn’t they realised that Stiles would never have run away from them like that? “She told me she’d left a note…made it look like I ran away…had my things…”

“Yeah, she did. I’m sorry Stiles, god, we should have realised, but, we thought we’d pushed you too far, with suggesting going visiting your dad, and, god, I’m sorry.” Dean said, knowing the guilt of his actions was never going to leave him, even if Stiles forgave him, Dean would never forgive himself. 

“Not your fault.” Stiles said, grimacing as he tried to sit up, rubbing a hand over his chest, it was hollow, empty, his magic was gone, he was sure of it, he wanted Fang, wanted to cuddle up against his fur and feel safe, he shifted slightly, pulling the collar of his shirt and seeing Fang pacing in agitation along his collarbone. 

“We don’t know why he hasn’t appeared.” Dean explained just as Sam burst through the door, bags in hand, panting as if he’d run from the store down the road.

“I got your text.” He said already depositing the bags on the floor and moving towards Stiles, “How are you feeling?” 

“Like I got hit by a bus.” Stiles replied, closing his eyes, clasping his hands together and summoning Fang, annoyed when he couldn’t feel any response from his magic and Fang was still imprinted on his skin. 

“The spell she used, it drained your energy, it’ll take time for it to come back.” Sam explained and Stiles nodded, shuffling in the bed and throwing back the covers as he tried to stand up. “Where are you going?”

“I need to go the bathroom?” Stiles replied in confusion, wincing in pain and swaying unsteadily on the spot, Dean gripping his arm tightly and walking him into the bathroom. 

Stiles stared at his reflection, there was a large bruise down the side of his face and his lip had been split open, the symbols carved into his skin were covered with bandages and he was grateful about that, there were more bandages around his wrists and bruises on his arms, he looked like he’d been through hell, his eyes were still glowing a bright supernatural red and Fang was pacing restlessly across his skin. He knew there was no point in even attempting to heal himself, if he didn’t have enough magic to release Fang there was no way in hell he had enough magic to try and heal these injuries. 

He made his way unsteadily back to the small room, taking in the looks of worry on Sam and Dean’s faces, doing his best to give them both a reassuring smile even though he knew he didn’t do a very good job of it.

“I should probably call dad, does he know?” Stiles asked and Dean nodded.

“When we thought you’d run off, we had to call him, in case you showed up there.” Dean explained. 

“It’s fine, I guess he would have called if he hadn’t heard from me in a few days anyway, he probably would have been pissed if you’d kept it from him.” Stiles shrugged and then winced when it sent a wave of pain through him. “And, he knows? About the witch kidnapping me?” 

“Yeah, we were on the phone when Dean found your bat, and then, well, then there was the earthquake and the blast of light and…”

“What? Earthquake? What the hell happened while I was out?” Stiles asked, so they explained, everything, the case, the fourth victim, the fact they thought Stiles had run off, how they’d been discussing about hidden marks on the bodies when Dean had found Stiles’ bat, followed by the earthquake and then the blast of light, how they’d run to the warehouse, killed the witch and rescued Stiles and how he’d been unconscious for the past three days, how Rowena had explained what the witch had done and how his magic had reacted. 

Stiles stared at them in shock unable to believe everything that had happened in the past week, it sounded like something out of a fairy story, but, Stiles was used to fairy stories by now, he lived in them.

“Alright, well, I’ll call dad, tell him I’m awake and okay and all that.” Stiles said, picking up his phone from where somebody had put it on charge and dialling his dad’s number. 

He waited patiently for it to connect, Sam returning to the bags and picking them up off the floor.

“We’ll have to change your bandages before we do anything else.” Sam commented and Stiles rolled his eyes, pressing a hand against his stomach and wincing slightly, sighing when the phone finally connected.

“Hey dad, it’s me.” 

“Mr Stilinski, what a pleasant surprise.” A voice said and Stiles stilled, he recognised that voice, it took him a second to place it and then he felt a sudden terror overwhelming him.

“Deucalion. What have you done with my dad?” Stiles growled, both Dean and Sam turning towards him and clenching their fists.

“He shouldn’t have been poking his nose where it didn’t belong.” Deucalion replied smugly and Stiles wasn’t sure if the dread or anger was more overwhelming, if anything had happened to his dad, god, “That’s what you get for running around with wolves, but, you’d know all about that, wouldn’t you?”

“If you’ve hurt him…”

“What Stiles? What are you going to do about it? Hmm?” Deucalion teased and Stiles tensed.

“I’ll kill you. That’s what. If you’ve hurt him you are dead.” Stiles replied sounding deadly and dangerous, he meant every word, if his dad was hurt, Stiles would slaughter Deucalion. He hung up the phone, not giving Deucalion a chance to reply, moving towards the door in determination.

“Wait a sec, let us grab our things.” Dean said. 

“We have to go, he has my dad.” Stiles said in agitation.

“I know, ten minutes and we’ll have our crap together and then we can go after them, okay?” Dean tried to reason.

“Five.” Stiles growled angrily, wincing when he tried to move too quickly and holding his stomach in annoyance, his dad was in danger, he needed to get to him.

Within minutes they had packed their belongings and Stiles was climbing unsteadily into the back of the impala, wincing in pain but his sole focus was the fact that he had to get to his dad. They were going to Beacon Hills, he was going home. 

They were about two hours out of town when Sam’s phone started ringing, Derek’s name flashing up on the screen, he glanced at Stiles uncertainly but Stiles only nodded, he’d be seeing the man in less than two hours, he might as well speak to him. 

“Derek?” Sam answered.

“Yeah, hey Sam,” Derek sounded exhausted but at least he was safe, which is more than they could say for Noah, “I’m just checking in, seeing if Stiles is awake yet?” 

“Yeah, yeah I’m awake.” Stiles replied and there was silence on the other end of the phone. “Are the rest of the Alpha pack back too? Or is it just Deucalion?” He asked.

“What, um, yeah, erm, Stiles?” Derek replied uncertainly.

“Yes, Derek, I think we’ve established that I’m Stiles. You’re Derek. Congratulations. Now, Alpha pack, focus. Are they all back? How long have they had dad? Do you know if he’s okay?” Stiles asked. 

“Your dad? What? They haven’t, hang on, wait, he’s here, hang on.” Derek said, there was a shuffling on the other end of the phone and then his dad’s voice came over the phone.

“Stiles? What’s going on?” Noah asked.

“Dad?” Stiles said in confusion, “What are you doing there? I thought Deucalion had you?”

“What? Why would Deucalion have me?” Noah replied.

“I called your phone, he answered, he told me that you shouldn’t have been poking your nose where it didn’t belong, and that’s what you get for running around with wolves.” Stiles argued and there was a silence for a moment before Noah cursed.

“I must have dropped my phone last night.” Noah mumbled, “Son of a bitch must have found it. Don’t worry Stiles. I’m fine. I’m okay.” Noah reassured him. 

“Okay? Are you kidding me!? Deucalion has your phone and you’re telling me that’s fine!?” Stiles said heatedly. 

“Woah, kid, calm down, I’m fine, honestly, I’m okay.” Noah replied. 

“We’ll be there in a couple of hours.” Stiles replied, “Until then, sit tight, okay, no running off. Stay in the house until we get there.” 

“You’re coming here?” Noah asked uncertainly.

“Yeah I am dad.”

“You don’t have to, we’ve got it handled, if you’re not ready, you don’t have to?” Noah replied.

“No, dad, I’m, no time like the present, right? We’ll be there in a couple of hours.” Stiles replied, “Don’t do anything stupid until then.” He added before he ended the call, relief flooding through him that his dad was alive, that he was okay, but, it didn’t change things, he was still going to help them, he was still going to kill Deucalion for daring to threaten his dad. 

Derek was pretty sure he was freaking out, Stiles had spoken to him, actually spoken to him, and, he was coming home, he was coming back, god, he’d be here in a couple of hours, okay, Derek was certain he was freaking out. 

The Alpha pack had returned to Beacon Hills just over two weeks ago, they’d made their presence known by attacking Peter when he was returning to the Stilinski household one evening, since then they’d had multiple incursions. The most recent one had been last night, they’d been out in the preserve, following up another lead, when they’d been caught by surprise by the Alpha pack, Derek had managed to hold them off until the rest of the pack had escaped and then turned tail and run as fast as he could. He’d managed to make it back to the house but barely, he was pretty badly injured, thick claw marks that ran up his chest and another set up his legs, he’d gotten patched up as best he could and then called Sam to check on Stiles, the last thing he’d expected was to speak to Stiles, his mind trying to process what Stiles was saying when all he was really thinking was that Stiles was speaking to him.

The whole pack was in a state of nervous excitement, the idea that Stiles was coming back, that he’d be there in less than two hours, it was setting them all on edge, none of them could sit still, pacing in agitation around the room, Derek was the only one not moving and that was because his skin was still knitting back together, sitting on the sofa and staring at the door in anticipation.

They all heard the rumble of the impala approaching and then the engine cut out in front of the Stilinski household, they waited until they heard three doors open and then close before Noah moved to the front door and opened it. 

Sam and Dean were walking towards the house, both nodding at them in greeting but Noah only had eyes for Stiles, he was wearing the red hoodie they’d bought him, along with a pair of jeans and boots, a couple of t-shirts under his hoodie and an old leather jacket over it, he looked pretty beat up, a large bruise across the side of his face, his eyes hidden behind a pair of old sunglasses, his lip split but healing, he was moving hesitantly, as if he was in pain but doing his best to hide it, his hair was longer than Noah remembered, similar in length to how it had been before Rafael had returned and he was taller, broader, he looked like he’d grown so much and Noah had missed it. The moment Stiles laid eyes on his dad he smiled brightly, Noah practically pushing past Sam and Dean in order to pull him into a tight hug, the difference in Stiles’ height becoming even more obvious when Noah had to stretch slightly to hug him.

“Stiles, god, god, I’ve missed you kiddo.” Noah said, not even bothered about the fact he was nearly in tears in the middle of his yard.

“You too dad.” Stiles replied, holding him just as tightly. Eventually they broke apart, the rest of the pack moving forwards to hug him, Scott, Melissa and Derek staying at the back, not sure how Stiles would react to their presence. Isaac commented that Stiles smelled like blood and Derek did his best not to tense at that, even when Stiles shrugged noncommittally and then pressed a hand against his stomach.

“Why haven’t you healed yourself?” Noah scolded and Stiles shrugged again.

“I haven’t got any magic at the moment, got to wait a few days for it to replenish.” Stiles replied casually, the sunglasses hid his eyes but it was clear he was looking at the three of them, looking nervous, as if he wasn’t sure about how to deal with them. 

“What about Cas? Couldn’t he heal you?” Lydia asked and Stiles shook his head.

“He’s busy, trying to keep his brothers and sisters from killing each other, you’d think they’d be able to put it all behind them now that they can get back into Heaven, but, things aren’t that simple apparently, plus, he’s not at full power at the moment, we’ll find a way to fix that though.” Stiles explained, still staring at the three of them.

“Hi.” Scott said a little awkwardly and Stiles nodded at him in reply, taking a step forward and then hesitating as if he wasn’t sure how Scott was going to respond. 

“I’m sorry.” Stiles muttered so quietly that Derek barely heard it, but it was clear Scott had heard, heard the complete and sincere grief and guilt in Stiles’ voice. “I understand why you hate me and I’m so sorry Scott, I swear to you, I never meant to kill him and I’m sorry.” Stiles sounded to be on the verge of tears and Scott practically whined at the sound.

“No, no, don’t be sorry.” He said, moving forwards confidently, resting his hands on Stiles’ shoulders and looking at him, wishing that Stiles would take the stupid sunglasses off so he could look him in the eyes, “Stiles, I don’t blame you, not one bit, not in the slightest.” Scott said, reaching up cautiously to take Stiles’ sunglasses off, staring in surprise when he saw Stiles’ eyes glowing an alpha red, it sent a shudder of desire through Derek that he knew he should hate, but, he’d always found Stiles attractive, and, now he’d grown into himself slightly, he was even more so, the red of his eyes just made his wolf even harder to control, it took everything he had not to go over there and bare his throat to the one person he would always, completely and utterly, trust with his life. 

“Are you a werewolf now?” Allison asked in confusion and Stiles shook his head, ducking away from Scott’s shocked gaze and staring at the grass instead.

“Side effect, I think they’ll stay like this until my magic is back to normalish levels and then they’ll go back to normal.” Stiles muttered. 

“Okay, look, forget your eyes for a second, although, seriously, it’s so freaking weird, but, what I was going to say, Stiles, what you have to believe me on, what you have to know, beyond any shadow of a doubt…” Scott said seriously, looking like his life depended on Stiles believing him, “I don’t hate you, I don’t blame you and I’m so glad he’s dead, that he can’t hurt you anymore. And, I’m sorry, god, Stiles, I’m so sorry. If I’d known…if I’d had any idea what he was doing…I let you down and I’ll completely understand if you never forgive me for that, but, Stiles, please believe me, I didn’t know, and, if I’d known, I would have done everything in my power to stop him, you’re my best friend Stiles, you’re my brother, I should have protected you, I’m so sorry Stiles, please, please forgive me.” Scott said sincerely and both Scott and Stiles looked to be on the verge of tears before Stiles pulled him into a hug, holding him tightly and Scott clung back just as tightly. 

“I know you didn’t know Scotty, I don’t blame you and I’d never hate you, you’re right, you’re my best friend, you’re my brother too, you always have been, I just, I couldn’t face you, not knowing I was responsible for you never seeing your dad again. That’s my fault, and I’ll never be able to apologise enough.” Stiles muttered, wincing slightly when Scott hugged him harder as if afraid Stiles would vanish from his arms.

“No, no, Stiles, we were going to kill him.” Scott said and Stiles froze, pulling away slightly so that he could look Scott in the eyes. 

“What?” Stiles asked in shock.

“We were going to kill him Stiles. The only reason we kept him alive was because your dad wanted it to be your decision. You fought so hard against Gusion to get him to drop the knife, to stop him from killing Rafael, it was obvious you didn’t want him dead.” Melissa added and Stiles paled, looking like he was going to be sick, his hands shaking slightly until he clenched them into fists.

“I didn’t want him dead because he was your dad Scott, because I lost my mom and I’d never take anyone’s parents away from them, not on purpose, not for my own selfish reasons.” Stiles clarified.

“So, you wanted him dead?” Scott asked in confusion and Stiles hesitated.

“I don’t know.” He answered honestly, “I didn’t want anyone to know, and, making sure he got justice would mean having to tell everyone. I hadn’t ever…I don’t…I didn’t want…I don’t know.” Stiles sighed, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck and putting his sunglasses back on to hide his eyes when one of the neighbours approached from across the street. “I don’t know that I wanted him dead, punished, yes, but, dead? I don’t honestly know. I know that I didn’t want to kill him because I knew it would hurt you and that’s the last thing I would ever want to do.” Stiles muttered, his voice trailing off when the neighbour got closer and was peering at him with wide eyes.

“Well, Stiles Stilinski, finally come home then, have we?” She asked and Stiles grinned.

“Hey Ms Walker, how have you been?” Stiles replied charmingly and Derek swore he could actually see Ms Walker melt slightly at Stiles’ words, what the hell had Sam and Dean been teaching him? If the way Dean was grinning at Stiles and Sam was rolling his eyes was any indication they’d obviously been teaching him the wrong things, they should have been teaching him how to defend himself, not how to charm people into doing whatever he wanted. If Derek was completely honest with himself, if Stiles smiled at him like that, then he’d do whatever he wanted too. He really needed to get control of himself because this was just ridiculous. Stiles had been back less than half an hour and Derek was already stinking out the yard with arousal, it would only get worse when they got in to the enclosed space of the house, he knew it, he had to get control of himself. He dug his claws into the palms of his hands, feeling the blood well up slightly and it helped focus on what was going on.

“You know, you vanishing was the talk of the town for a while, wait until I tell everyone you are home. You are home, aren’t you? Or are you dashing off again with these young men?” Ms Walker asked, indicating Dean and Sam who both smiled politely at her and Stiles blushed slightly. 

“I’m, um, I’m not sure yet.” He answered honestly. 

“Well, I suppose, all that drama with that federal agent, you needed a bit of a break, I mean, nobody wants to be kidnapped like that, it’s just a shame they never found him, but, at least you came home first, told your dad you were safe and all that. Although, it doesn’t look like you’ve been keeping out of trouble, you always were a bit of a trouble magnet.” She rambled, oblivious to the way that Stiles tensed at the mention of Rafael.

“If you’ll excuse us Agnes, we’ve got a lot to catch up on.” Noah said politely, moving between Stiles and Ms Walker, putting a hand on Stiles’ shoulder and steering him towards the house. 

“I’ll be seeing you later Stiles, we’ll have to have a lovely catch up soon, my garden needs a good cut and you used to do the best job, I’ll make you your favourite hot cocoa.” She added and Stiles nodded, giving her another brief smile before shuffling into the house, the others following after him. 

Nobody missed the way Stiles stared at the spot on the floor in the living room where Rafael had died, they’d moved the furniture around a few times since then and a sofa now covered that spot, despite the fact they all had their own homes to go to, the Stilinski house was their base, it was where they went when they needed the comfort of pack, and, that was a lot of the time. Especially when Stiles started getting in touch, they always wanted to be there in case he decided to call and they missed it, but, he was home, standing right in front of them, and, Derek was nervous, he didn’t know what to do, how to make things easier for Stiles.

“What’s with all the books?” Stiles asked, pointing to the pile of books that littered one of the smaller tables in the living room and were also scattered around the base of the table.

“That’s our research pile.” Peter said proudly, “The books that I’ve managed to gather over the past couple of years that are even remotely acceptable for accurate supernatural facts, there’s a couple of mentions of mages in some of them, even a passage or two about familiars as well.” He added. “Where is Fang by the way? I thought the two of you were joined at the hip?” 

“Not at the moment.” Stiles replied calmly, his fingers tracing the spines of some of the books, “Fang needs magic. I haven’t got any. Not yet. A day or two and he should be able to be here.” 

“Where does he go when he’s not with you then?” Lydia asked and Stiles shrugged.

“Here and there.” He replied casually, knowing his dad would freak out if he knew Stiles had a moving tattoo, along with the twenty other none moving ones he had. “You’ve moved the furniture?” He asked and Noah nodded.

“A few times actually, and we got some new bits and pieces too, I mean, eventually, it just didn’t make sense for the pack to keep sleeping on the floor, it was fine, but, it kind of cluttered up the living room, so, we converted the guest room into their room and they all sleep in there whenever they want.” Noah explained and Stiles nodded, doing his best to stay calm, to not have a panic attack at the memories that being here brought to the front of his mind, the last time he had stood in this spot he had killed Rafael, he’d been possessed by Gusion, he’d raped Derek, he’d threatened to kill Melissa and the rest of the pack, he’d had to watch helplessly as all of his secrets were spilled. God, he wasn’t ready for this, he shouldn’t have come back. 

He took a steadying breath, moving away from the spot where Rafael had lay dead on the floor, moving instead to the kitchen, it looked brighter than he remembered it, everything seemed to have moved since Stiles had last been here, he wondered vaguely if the pack had had to deal with those memories too, if it was easier to forget by changing everything that reminded them of those days. He was very aware of their eyes on him, but, he just couldn’t deal with them right now, it was taking everything he had not to just run out of the house, get back in the impala and drive as far away as he could. 

“So, the Alpha pack are back? All of them?” He asked, hoping the change in subject might distract him from the tremors that were starting in his fingers, the first sign of an impending panic attack. 

“Yeah, a couple of weeks now, we’re not sure what they want, there’s been several attacks, but, we’ve all managed to walk away from them pretty much unscathed, or, at least, managed to heal from their injuries.” Peter said, glancing to Derek as he spoke, Stiles turned to look at Derek, not looking at his eyes, knowing he’d only see hatred or pity there, no, instead he studied him, the way he held himself tightly, leaning against the far wall, obviously supporting himself while trying to look casual about it. Derek had been injured, recently, and he hadn’t healed yet. Stiles felt guilt flood through him, he was making this about him, and, it wasn’t, it was about the pack, he was here to help them. 

He squared his shoulders, grimacing slightly at the movement before he gritted his teeth and forced himself to breathe. He would not have a panic attack. He would not run from here like a scared child. He was a grown up. An adult. A hunter. A mage. He could and would take down the Alpha pack and protect his dad and the pack from them. No matter what. 

“Okay, so, we need a plan…” He began.

“You need to rest.” Dean interrupted and Stiles turned towards him in annoyance. “Don’t give me that look. You’re still healing, you have no magic, you just spent three days being tortured by a crazy bitch, the Alpha pack aren’t going to be stupid enough to attack here, are there?” He asked and Derek shook his head. “Good, so, rest, once you’re back to sort of normal, the three of us go take them out, you guys stay here, sound good?” 

“Take them out? You?” Jackson remarked. “You realise it’s five Alpha werewolves, right? That you will get your asses handed to you.”

“I don’t know, I figure I put a wolfsbane bullet through their brain and they still go down just like every other werewolf.” Dean replied sarcastically and Jackson rolled his eyes. 

“Like you’ll even be able to get a shot off, they’re fast, faster than you, and smart too.” Jackson snarled.

“Yeah, well, I’ve killed a few werewolves in my time, I know what I’m doing.” Dean remarked. 

“Fine, you want to be an idiot and get yourself killed, fine, but, you’re not dragging Stiles out there with you. I won’t let him get hurt because of you.” Jackson growled and Stiles’ mouth dropped open in shock, Dean looking at him with wide eyes before Stiles grinned and put a hand on Jackson’s shoulder.

“Dude, I had no idea you cared so much.” He teased and Jackson flushed slightly.

“I don’t.” 

“Yeah you do, you totally just admitted it, you likkkkkeee me, you loooovvvvee me.” Stiles joked and Jackson huffed out a sigh, rolling his eyes before he couldn’t hold back a smile any longer and he grinned at Stiles. 

“Whatever.” Jackson huffed. 

“Aww, Jacks, did you miss me?” Stiles laughed and Jackson rolled his eyes again before turning to Lydia to ask for help except she was too busy grinning to do anything other than laugh at Jackson. “Don’t worry about it buddy, I’ll be fine, we’ve got this.” 

“Stiles, Jackson is right, the three of you shouldn’t be going after them, not by yourselves, you’ve got a whole pack here who can be helpful, so, let us help.” Noah said and Stiles pursed his lips. 

“Alright, new plan, give me a couple of days to rest up, heal, Derek should have healed by then too, then we’ll think up a new plan, okay? No point in going after them when we’re not at our best, right?” Stiles reasoned, Derek was shocked, he hadn’t realised Stiles had even noticed he was injured, but, he nodded, a couple of days and Stiles would be okay and it would give Derek time to take the Alpha pack down long before Stiles got anywhere near them, he wasn’t going to give them the chance to hurt Stiles. 

“Fair enough.” Sam agreed, “So, next question, you want to get a motel or…” 

“You can stay here, all three of you, there’s plenty of space.” Erica said quickly and the rest of the pack nodded in agreement. 

“It’ll be more practical, we’re on hand if they do decide to attack.” Dean commented but it was clear everyone was waiting for Stiles, that they’d do whatever he wanted. 

“Sure, that sounds good.” He replied, feeling nervous, was this really the best idea? Maybe he should go to a motel? Maybe he shouldn’t push himself too far too fast? 

“I’ll show you your room if you like?” Isaac said and Stiles nodded numbly, he knew where his room was, it hadn’t been that long since he’d last been here. “We redecorated the whole house, you know, fresh start and all that, but, we didn’t know if you’d want your room leaving alone or not, but, then, Melissa and your dad agreed that a fresh start would be good for all of us, that, when you came home, you wouldn’t want all those memories.” Isaac rambled as they made their way up the stairs, the rest of the pack hovering nervously behind them, Stiles was feeling a little overwhelmed, he wasn’t going to deny that. 

He stared at his room, it looked similar, but, not the same. The carpet was the same, but, the walls had been painted a bright blue, his shelves had moved but his books were still on there, it was a new double bed and he didn’t even want to think about why his dad had decided that was necessary, but, it was, it looked nice, still, he moved to the far corner of the room, ran his hand softly over the carpet until he felt the small notch and grabbed it, pulling the corner of the carpet up. He could feel every eye on him, but, he had to know, he lifted up the two floorboards that had never been very sturdy and reached into the small crawl space, he’d been able to fit in there at one point, had hidden there once from Rafael. Stiles had stayed in there for hours, until he’d been convinced that Rafael had left, he’d crawled out, replaced the carpet and then tried to clean himself up so his dad would have no idea, he’d barely cracked open his bedroom door when Rafael had barged in, he’d been angry, so angry, Stiles had hidden successfully from him, well, at least for a little while, and he was pissed, Stiles had never seen him like that before. The next few hours had been some of the worst he’d ever experienced, not just the rape or the beatings, but what Rafael had done to his mom’s photos. 

He pulled out the small pile of photographs that were held together with elastic bands, smiling in relief once he held them in his hands. 

“What are those?” Noah asked, all of them were shocked that Stiles had a secret hiding place under his floorboards, none of them had found it while they were redecorating and what had Stiles thought so important that he had to hide them there?

“Photos of mom.” Stiles explained, handing them cautiously to his dad who studied them for a moment and then frowned. 

“Why are some of them burned?” He asked, looking at the smiling faces in the photographs, Claudia looked happy, her arms wrapped around Stiles, hugging him tight to her, a matching grin on Stiles’ face, ones of Noah and Claudia holding hands, or hugging each other, one of the three of them, all smiling and happy, except, around the edges some of them were burned, Stiles’ face partially obscured by the burns marks, another where Claudia’s hair had been burned off. “Stiles? What happened to these?” Noah asked and Stiles sighed. He’s told them so much already, he had to start telling them everything, if there was any hope for them, or for him, he had to tell them the truth. 

“He…” Stiles cleared his throat, “Rafael burned them, when I didn’t behave, when I tried to hide from him. I hid them there where it was safe, somewhere he didn’t know about.” Stiles explained, clearing his throat again before looking around at the rest of the room, “It looks good, I like it.” He added, not wanting to dwell on Rafael for a moment longer than necessary. 

“Yeah, um, well…” Noah replied, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists at another thing he hadn’t known, another thing that that bastard had tried to take from his son, god, he wished the man was still alive so that Noah could torture him, punish him, make him beg for death. 

“This bed looks comfy.” Dean said, dropping down on to it and sprawling across it easily, evidently trying to change the subject.

“Erm…” Peter opened his mouth to comment that it was Stiles’ room, but, Stiles grinned and flopped down on the bed next to Dean.

“I don’t know dude, I don’t think we can all fit in here.” He laughed sprawling out across the bed and practically kicking Dean out of the bed, Dean shoved back playfully and Derek couldn’t help but stare, Stiles had changed, he’d grown up, he looked calmer, more relaxed, even though Derek had witnessed just how close Stiles had been to a panic attack earlier, except here, with Dean, he looked calm, he looked happy, and it made Derek’s chest ache because he wanted to be the one to make Stiles happy. 

“Very funny! No chance I’m sharing with you guys again.” Sam muttered, “I’ll take the floor.” 

“Your loss Sammy. It’s really comfortable.” Dean teased, kicking Stiles’ legs again and Stiles looked at him in shock.

“You want to go? Because, dude, I will kick your ass.” Stiles laughed. 

“Maybe when your better, right now, I could totally take you.” Dean grinned before rolling off the bed and looking at the rest of the pack who were staring at them with wide eyes. “Anyway, you should rest, you do actually need to sleep if we’ve got any chance of you healing up any time soon.” Dean said, getting off the bed and moving towards the stairs, “You guys got any beer in?” He called as he moved back towards the kitchen and Stiles rolled his eyes before following after him. 

Stiles fell asleep on the sofa in the early evening, he’d taken his sunglasses off a few hours before and they’d all spent quite a while staring at his eyes, Stiles was obviously self-conscious about it, he’d spent the rest of the afternoon looking at the floor rather than any of them. Stiles had obviously been exhausted and fighting it for as long as he could until eventually, moments after Scott had offered to drain his pain, placed a hand on the back of his neck over his Lichtenberg scar while black lines ran up his arm, the exhaustion won out, he curled up against the side of the sofa, the sound of familiar voices surrounding him lulling him to sleep, oblivious to the way that Sam picked the book he’d been holding out of his hands and Dean covered him with a blanket, resting a hand against the side of his neck in reassurance for a second before he tucked the blanket a little tighter and headed to the kitchen to get himself another drink.

“He’s so different.” Noah muttered, staring at the sleeping Stiles in wonder. 

“Huh?” Dean asked, slumping into the seat next to Stiles and resting his eyes for a minute.

“I know you sent the photos, and, god did we need those, not seeing him every day broke my heart, but, still, I didn’t realise how much he’s changed, he’s grown, and, I’ve missed so much.” Noah muttered, Melissa resting a hand on his shoulder in comfort. “How’s he holding up? After the witch? How badly is he hurt?” 

“He’ll live.” Sam grimaced, “She did a pretty good job of nearly killing him.” He explained, “But, Stiles is strong, and, he’ll heal, especially when his magic comes back, until then, we just have to wait, be patient.” 

“He looks so different.” Scott added and the others nodded. 

“Different?” Sam asked in confusion.

“You probably don’t see it, being with him all the time,” Lydia remarked, “But, he’s taller, broader, he looks more confident, more, everything, I guess, definitely more attractive.” 

“What!?” Jackson squawked looking at Lydia in surprise, Lydia just shrugged casually. 

“Yeah, Stiles has quite the way with women when he wants, and, guys too if he feels like it.” Dean grinned with his head resting against the back of the sofa and his eyes were still closed, Derek felt his jealously flare. “I mean, he’s only using it to help with the cases, but, still, when he eventually decides he’s ready to put himself out there, he’s going to be beating them away with his bat.” 

“And, you think, you think he’s ready for that?” Noah asked looking pained, Dean opened his eyes, looking at Derek for a moment before turning to look at Noah.

“Honestly, I don’t know, he’s better than he was, but, he’s not,” Dean’s eyes flicked back to Derek, “I don’t know if he’s ready, only Stiles knows that, but, I do know that he needs patience and kindness and somebody who will respect what he wants, not somebody who will push him into something he’s not ready for.” 

“I wouldn’t…” Derek began but Dean just rolled his eyes. 

“I’m not saying it would be you.” Dean replied, “I’m just saying, whoever it is, has to be understanding and not pressure him. Not that Stiles wouldn’t be more than capable of knocking whoever it was on their ass as soon as they upset him in the slightest, because he’s changed in more ways than one. He’s not afraid of anything, he’ll go to the wall for anyone, any time, any place, if he thinks it’s the right thing to do. Except now he can handle himself a hell of a lot better than he used to be able to. You should remember that.” 

“Anyway, we shouldn’t be discussing if Stiles is ready to date.” Derek grumbled, “We should be discussing if he’s ready to be here, if he’s going to be okay being back here, after everything that happened.” 

“Stiles is the only one that knows that too.” Sam commented. “He’s better than he was, a lot better, but, being here is going to pull up bad memories, we all know that, not just from being possessed, but, from before too. It’s why you’ve redecorated, so you know it’s true. But, Stiles is strong. I think, I think he’ll be okay being here, just, don’t push him if he’s not. He seems happy enough to talk about it, well, no, happy is the wrong word, he’ll talk about it if it’s necessary, I think, he’s being reading a lot of self-help books, I think he’s coming to terms with everything, and, he realises he can’t do that alone, he has to talk to other people about it too. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see, Stiles will do what he wants, we all know that already.”

“You know him a lot better than we do now, I mean, he’s changed in that sense too, he’s not the same kid I knew.” Peter admitted. “Obviously I didn’t know him as well as some of you, but, he seems more…confident? I guess.” 

“Wait until he’s back at full power, you’re not going to know what hit you.” Dean muttered sounding half asleep before a moment later that was a quiet snore and Sam let out a huff of laughter. 

“Stiles isn’t the only one that’s exhausted.” Sam explained, “Neither of us have really slept since Stiles ‘ran off’ and then, when we thought the Alpha pack had you, we drove here, it feels like it’s been a really long week.” He finished lamely. 

“Well, I know you said you were fine on the floor, but, I’m sure we can make space for you in the pack room if you’d like?” Derek offered nervously, he wasn’t sure how comfortable he was having somebody who wasn’t a committed member of the pack in their den, after all, Sam was loyal to Stiles, and, obviously they’d gotten to know him over the past year, but, still, it wasn’t like they’d all spent a lot of time together, phone conversations and texts weren’t the same as actually being there, they all knew that. Sam looked at Stiles and Dean where they were sleeping on the sofa and sighed heavily.

“No, don’t worry about it. They aren’t going to move from there anytime soon.” Sam replied, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes, “I’ll be fine here.” 

“Are you sure? I mean, there’s an empty bed upstairs?” Noah suggested but Sam shrugged.

“Better here where I can keep an eye on them.” Sam said, his breath slowing as he too drifted towards sleep. 

The pack made the unanimous decision to stay downstairs, Derek knew his reasoning was to stay close to Stiles, that having him close felt right, he didn’t know everybody else’s reasons but, he would hazard a guess that they were similar to his own. Within half an hour blankets and pillows were spread around the room and the pack were sprawled all over the floor, half lying on top of each other as they crammed in close to the sofa where Stiles slept, oblivious to the pack at his feet.


	11. Chapter 11

Boyd woke up with a strange scent in his nose, he shifted slightly, disturbing Erica from her slumber, he knew the moment she caught the strange scent, the way she tensed, blinking in the early morning light and looking around suspiciously. Boyd turned slightly so that his nose followed the scent to its source, stilling when his gaze settled on the huge wolf that was sat on the sofa next to the sleeping Stiles, it was glaring at Boyd and Erica, its hackles raised, its teeth bared in aggression. 

Erica flashed her eyes at it, as did Boyd, and the wolf growled low in its throat, shifting slightly so that it was practically standing over Stiles, the rest of the pack seemed to stir at the sound of the wolf growling at them, each of them sitting up, flashing their own eyes at it which only seemed to agitate the wolf, it was standing over Stiles now, snarling at all of them, looking ready to tear their throats out the moment somebody moved. 

“Fang!” Dean growled in annoyance, “They are friends, we’re friends, remember?” He was obviously grumpy having been woken up in the middle of the night, it was obvious he was intimidated by Fang, but, he was refusing to show it. “Stiles? Stiles, wake up!” Dean muttered, moving as if to hit Stiles awake but stilling when Fang growled at him, snapping his teeth in Dean’s direction, “Woah, hey buddy, you know me, we’re friends.” Dean tried in reassurance. 

Derek woke up slowly, he’d slept better than he had in months, slept better than he had since Stiles had first being possessed by Gusion, having them all here, together, it soothed him, eased an ache in his chest that he’d barely realised was there up until now, he knew it was Stiles, something about him being home, made Derek sleep easier, so, of course, he was the last to wake up. He was awoken by Dean’s voice and the growling of the pack around him, any drowsiness left him, something was wrong, his pack were in danger. 

He sat bolt upright, taking in the scene in front of him, Fang was stood over Stiles, growling dangerously and looking ready to take on anyone who even breathed wrong. Derek flashed his eyes, growling low in the back of his throat and refusing to break eye contact with Fang. 

“Derek….” Scott whined nervously when Derek shifted towards Fang and the wolf growled a little louder. 

“Relax.” Derek replied, moving forwards slowly, cautiously but steadily, he was the Alpha, he would not back down, he would protect his pack. “Fang, back off, I’m not going to hurt him. Back away.” Derek growled warningly, showing the wolf which one of them was boss, he was the Alpha and he wouldn’t be challenged for that. He kept moving forward until finally, thankfully, Fang backed down, sinking lower over Stiles and looking and Derek with almost fearful eyes, “It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt him, it’s okay.” He said, reaching out and gripping the back of Fang’s neck and the wolf practically melted under his touch, “That’s it, good boy.” Derek said, reaching for Stiles with his other hand and touching his shoulder. “Stiles? Stiles wake up.” 

“Wh’t?” Stiles grumbled sleepily, and Derek felt his heart skip a beat at how adorable Stiles was, it was ridiculous.

“Stiles, wake up.” Derek repeated a little louder and Stiles blinked his eyes open a few times, before he finally seemed to register that Derek was crouched in front of him, Derek had to take a steadying breath because he could get lost in those eyes, even when they were still glowing red. 

“What’s going on?” Stiles asked, sitting up slightly, wincing in pain slightly and then taking in the scene in front of him, Fang was leaning heavily against his side, looking at Derek deferentially before pressing his nose against the palm of Derek’s outstretched hand and whining slightly until Derek scratched him behind his ears and Fang’s tongue lolled out of his mouth, his ears flopping to the side and Derek grinned at the wolf. 

“You okay?” Derek asked and Stiles nodded, staring at where Derek’s hands ran through the fur at the back of Fang’s neck. 

“Yeah, fine, why did you wake me up?” He asked, looking around at the rest of the pack in confusion. 

“Fang got a little overprotective.” Dean muttered from next to him and Stiles rolled his eyes, knocking his shoulder into Fang’s side, the wolf turned towards him, licking at his face happily, his nose pressing into Stiles’ neck as he yipped happily. 

“It’s okay buddy, I’m okay, don’t worry, I missed you, yeah, I did, but, it’s okay, you’re okay, I’m okay.” Stiles muttered nonsense to the wolf who seemed to revel in it, pressing closer to Stiles, practically climbing onto his lap until Stiles grimaced slightly in pain and Derek let out an almost silent warning growl, Fang glanced at him before backing off, climbing off Stiles and looking at Derek with annoyance. “Hey, what are you doing? Come back here buddy, it’s fine, I’m okay.” Stiles tried but Fang didn’t move, his gaze still on Derek. “What did you do to him?” Stiles asked in annoyance and Derek shrugged. 

“Nothing, I just showed him who the Alpha is.” He said and Stiles rolled his eyes fondly.

“Great, just get my familiar to bow down to the almighty Alpha.” Stiles said sarcastically, groaning slightly when he tried to shift to get comfortable. 

“Hey, you don’t have to move, just, go back to sleep, it’s fine now.” Derek tried to reassure him but Stiles was having none of it, now he was awake there was no chance he was going back to sleep. 

“I’m fine.” He replied, getting to his feet and heading to the kitchen, grabbing a drink of water as Fang padded silently at his side. 

“So, Fang is different than how I imagined. I thought Dean and Sam were exaggerating when they said he was overprotective.” Erica said when Stiles returned to the living room. 

“What? Fang’s not overprotective, he just doesn’t know you guys.” Stiles replied easily, sinking back into his seat a little stiffly, smiling gently at Fang who jumped up next to him and rested his head on Stiles’ knees, rubbing a hand through his fur softly. 

“Actually, I think it’s something else entirely.” Peter muttered and they all looked at him waiting for further explanation, Peter moved to the small pile of books and looking through them until he picked one up and flicked through the pages, “It said in here about familiars, about how they are loyal to their masters, but, that they are still animals at the end of the day.”

“Which means what?” Allison asked.

“Which means, Fang is loyal to Stiles, and, as a wolf, Fang sees Stiles as his pack, his Alpha, as it were.” Peter explained and Stiles’ mouth dropped open in surprise, “When Stiles is asleep, or unconscious, Fang sees it as his job to protect his Alpha, and, tonight, his Alpha is asleep and surrounded by another pack, and, although Stiles is part of that pack, Fang doesn’t know if we are a threat or not, not really, he doesn’t know us well enough yet, of course he’s going to defend Stiles.” 

“But, then, why did he submit to Derek?” Stiles asked quietly, ignoring the comment that he was part of Derek’s pack, he really wasn’t sure that he was, he was almost certain that as soon as Derek got the chance he would explain to Stiles that he couldn’t have him in the pack, couldn’t look at him every day knowing that Stiles had raped him, Stiles understood that, he wouldn’t even argue it, he just didn’t want Derek to say it just yet, he wanted a few days where he felt like he actually belonged here. 

“I think, he recognised that Derek is, by default, also his Alpha, because, Stiles is his Alpha, but, Stiles is part of Derek’s pack, and, therefore, Stiles’ Alpha. Plus, Derek is a stronger wolf, and, he meant Stiles no harm, so, naturally, Fang would submit to him, however, if Derek hadn’t had such pure intentions in mind, if he’d been intending to hurt Stiles, then I fully believe Fang would have fought Derek to protect Stiles, after all, wouldn’t every single one of you fight to protect Derek if he was unconscious and somebody we didn’t know that well tried to attack him?” Peter said and the pack all looked at him stunned. 

“Yeah, but, how did Fang know Derek wasn’t going to hurt Stiles? I mean, I know he said he wasn’t going to hurt him, but, how did Fang know that Derek was telling the truth?” Allison asked, looking at Fang with curiosity. 

“Maybe he could hear his heartbeat?” Scott suggested, “I mean, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility, is it?” 

“So, Fang could hear that Derek was telling the truth and that’s why he submitted to him?” Stiles said in amazement, scratching Fang’s fur in affection. 

“Maybe? I mean, it’s all guesswork, nobody but a witch knows how their familiar works, and, you know him better than all of us, so, you would be the one who would be most likely to know if it’s possible.” Peter added and Stiles shrugged.

“He does a lot of things that I never thought possible, so, it wouldn’t actually surprise me if I’m honest.” Stiles replied. 

Eventually they all drifted back to sleep, it was still the early hours after all, and no matter how much excitement Fang’s appearance had created, they were all still tired. When Derek woke up hours later it was to find Fang nuzzled up against Stiles’ side, the rest of the pack still fast asleep around them, he snapped a quick picture on his phone, glad that he finally had the chance to take pictures with Stiles included. It had become blatantly obvious, after Stiles had left, when Sam and Dean started sending pictures of him, that they had very few photographs with Stiles, that there had been a few, from years ago, before Scott had been bitten, before Derek had turned the others, but, none of them had made any effort to take photographs, they’d been too busy fighting for their lives. That had all changed when Stiles left, the pack had grown closer because of their loss, because they all missed Stiles, because he’d been their glue and they hadn’t realised it until it was too late. He wasn’t going to make the same mistakes again. 

The next few days were odd to say the least, the pack had spent the last few days filling Stiles in on everything that had happened since he’d left, all the troubles they’d faced but overcome, and, even the things that had happened in their lives that weren’t plagued by supernatural forces, which colleges they were going to, and which courses they were doing, Stiles congratulating them all and being so goddamn proud of how much they’d all achieved, how far they’d come. Stiles was a bit confused about the sudden desire from the entire pack to have as many photographs with him as possible, it was weird, and, he either had to shut his eyes or have his sunglasses on as his eyes still hadn’t returned to normal, he could feel his magic returning but it was slow going, he was nowhere near normal power yet, it hadn’t reached the point where it would flood back, he couldn’t even heal himself, in fact, he was still pretty much useless, the only thing he had going for him was the fact that Fang was back, the wolf never leaving his side, growling whenever any of the betas got too close until Stiles reassured him that they were friends. 

Derek was aware that Stiles had been avoiding him, he only spoke to him when it was necessary and he never made eye contact with him, Derek had been convinced for so long that Stiles hated him, that he blamed him for what happened, but, Derek had seen how Stiles had been with Scott, that Stiles had thought Scott would hate him, even after everything Rafael did, and, Derek, well, he wanted to make sure that Stiles knew that Derek didn’t blame him, even if Stiles still blamed Derek, that was fine, so long as he knew that Derek didn’t blame him for what had happened. 

On the third day Derek had had enough, Stiles was still asleep upstairs, Dean was passed out on the sofa and Sam was making himself a mug of coffee while the rest of the pack got themselves ready to face the day, college, work, whatever they had plans for, Derek was grateful, it meant he only had to get rid of Peter, Sam and Dean. They’d explained that Stiles needed sleep in order to recover, that, for the next few weeks, he’d sleep more than usual, a side effect of replenishing his magic, they hadn’t been lying, Stiles had been sleeping for almost sixteen hours a day since his return home, Derek couldn’t wait until he was back to normal.

“I’d like to speak to Stiles privately.” He said as soon as Dean stumbled into the kitchen looking for coffee, the entire pack turned to look at him in surprise but Derek wasn’t going to keep this from them, it was obvious to all of them that Stiles wasn’t comfortable around Derek and if this was going to clear the air between them then none of them would stand in the way.

“Why?” Dean grumbled. 

“I want to clear the air between us.” Derek replied calmly.

“And you can’t do that in front of us?” Dean raised an eyebrow.

“Ignore him, he’s just trying to wind you up.” Sam smirked.

“Trying?” Dean grinned and Derek fought the urge to growl at him, “Chill out wolfboy, we’ll leave you two alone, Sammy and I have a few leads to go check out anyway.” Dean smirked into his coffee and Derek convinced himself that it would not be a good idea to try and kill Dean, Stiles liked Dean, thought of him as a brother, Derek wanted Stiles to forgive him, he couldn’t kill Dean, it would make a bad impression. 

Derek wandered around the house waiting for Stiles to get up, everyone ese had left a while ago and there was still no sign of Stiles, maybe he could go up to his room and wake him? No, that was a bad idea, no, he should wait. Derek was pacing, he knew he was agitated, he knew he was getting stressed out, but, Stiles might hate him, might blame him, and, Derek, Derek had basically kicked everybody out so they could deal with it, but, what if Stiles refused to talk to him, what if Stiles blanked him, or worse, what if he told Derek how much he hated him, how it was Derek’s fault, how…

“Hey.” Stiles said from the kitchen doorway and Derek froze, turning to look at Stiles, Stiles was wearing a pair of jeans and a couple of layered t-shirts, his eyes had faded slightly, although they were still a dull red and his hair was sticking up in a hundred different directions, he looked beautiful and Derek forgot how to speak for a moment. “You okay?” Stiles asked, moving towards the coffee pot and pouring himself a mug. 

“I, um, yeah.” Derek nodded, beginning to panic, he hadn’t thought through what he was going to say, he didn’t put enough thought into this, Stiles was going to hate him, god, why was he such an idiot. 

“Okay then.” Stiles replied, sounding a bit suspicious but focusing on the mug in front of him rather than Derek, “Have Sam and Dean gone out?” He asked. 

“Yeah, they, Dean said they had a few leads to check out.” Derek replied. 

“Oh, okay then.” Stiles muttered, looking like he was ready to run back up the stairs and away from Derek. 

“We need to talk.” Derek said forcefully and Stiles stopped in his tracks, turning to look at Derek with wide eyes. 

“Right, yeah, of course we do.” Stiles said sounding pained as he moved back towards the kitchen. 

“I’m sorry.” “I’m sorry.” They both said in unison and Stiles’ mouth dropped open in shock.

“You’re sorry, what are you sorry for!?” Stiles asked in surprise. 

“Me!? You apologised too! What on earth have you got to be sorry for!?” Derek asked equally as shocked. 

“Don’t be stupid, Derek, I, fuck, that thing, what he did, wearing my face, what he did to you, I should have fought harder, and, god, I’m so sorry Derek, I swear, I didn’t…”

“Stop! Stiles it was not your fault.” Derek said firmly.

“Not my fault!? Are you kidding me? Derek, I raped you!” Stiles shouted, sounding so disgusted with himself that Derek felt his heart breaking, he took a step forwards and Stiles took a step backwards, holding up a hand as if to ward Derek off, “How could you not think that’s my fault!? I fought him hard enough to exorcise him when he tried to kill my dad, but I didn’t fight hard enough to stop him from raping…”

“Stiles! Stop! Just stop, okay?” Derek pleaded and Stiles fell silent, glaring at the ground in disgust, Derek could see clearly now, see how much Stiles hated himself, how much he blamed himself and Derek wouldn’t allow it to go on for a second longer. “Just, give me a minute, without interrupting me, let me talk, okay?”

“Okay.” Stiles grumbled but he didn’t sound happy about it. 

“Stiles, I don’t blame you, not in the slightest. Gusion possessed you, he used you. And, god, I never, not for one second, blamed you. You have to understand that.”

“You’re insane, of course it’s my…”

“Shut up Stiles!” Derek said heatedly and Stiles glared at him before sighing heavily and slumping down into the sofa. 

“I’m just trying to tell you…”

“No, I’m telling you, this isn’t your fault Stiles. The demon was the one responsible. Not you. And, it wasn’t your fault. If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine.” Derek admitted.

“Yours!? Derek, you were asleep. You didn’t even know what was happening…”

“Exactly.” Derek replied, “Stiles, it wasn’t,” He sighed, taking a second to try and gather his thoughts, sitting down on the table opposite Stiles and looking him in the eye, “Up until I woke up, I was,” He fought back the blush on his cheeks, “It was a good dream, so, you know, I, um, I enjoyed myself.” Derek stammered.

“Right, until you woke up.” Stiles said, “Because then you realised what had happened, and, Derek, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” 

“No, listen to me, listen to what I’m saying, it was not your fault. You have no idea how guilty I felt when I realised what he’d done, because he used you Stiles, and I, I didn’t stop him, I should have woken up, so, I’m sorry.” Derek said.

“No, no you can’t be sorry Derek, you don’t have anything to be sorry for, don’t you get it, it wasn’t your fault.”

“It wasn’t yours either!” Derek replied.

“But it was. Derek, you don’t…I…Gusion…There’s something you don’t know.” Stiles muttered nervously.

“Okay, so, tell me then?” Derek asked and Stiles swallowed loudly in the silence before nodding firmly. 

“I, when I was possessed, I…” Stiles started and then bit his bottom lip in nerves.

“Stiles, it’s okay, whatever happened, it’ll be okay.” Derek tried to reassure him and Stiles nodded. 

“Okay, so, I, he took me to Hell, he defeated Crowley, he said that Crowley knew the Winchesters, and, I, I thought that, I knew that if I could get some kind of message out, that, they’d be able to help me, I was, at that point, I’d kind of given up, I didn’t know how to stop him, because if I tried to fight him he’d kill you guys, but, this, knowing the Winchesters might know Crowley, it gave me, hope, I guess. And, I just kept thinking about how I would get rid of him, how I’d be able to get home, and, how I’d try to make it up to all of you, that I’d try to get you all to forgive me, because I’d messed up, and I’d lied and I just, I was so sure that I could find some way to make it back, to find a way to prove I could still be useful, you know, because, I’d helped you out sometimes, I know I’d lied, but, it had never put you guys in danger, I’d never put you guys in danger on purpose, I would have told you about Rafael if it was, if he’d been dangerous to you, so, maybe, maybe you’d be willing to forgive me or whatever, keep me around to help with research even if I wasn’t in the pack.” Stiles sighed heavily, “He told me that I shouldn’t pin all my hopes on you, that he was going to make sure you’d never be able to forgive me, that you’d never want me around. It’s my fault Derek, he did that to you because of me, it’s my fault, I as good as raped you, I was there, I saw what he did and I didn’t stop him, couldn’t stop him, it was like it was me, it felt like it was me, that I did it, I’m as bad as Rafael.” Stiles explained sounding on the verge of tears and Derek felt like his heart had been ripped from his chest, Stiles blamed himself for something that would never be his fault and Derek wasn’t sure what he’d ever be able to say to convince him otherwise. 

“Stiles, listen to me, please, what Gusion did, it wasn’t your fault, he did that, not you. And I don’t blame you. Okay? I don’t know how many times I can say it, but, I will carry on saying it until you believe me. But, this is really important, you will never, ever, be anything like Rafael, okay? Never. Not for a single second.” Derek said, knowing how vital it was that Stiles believed him, “I do not blame you, it was not your fault, and you, you are nothing like him, you are a good person, you are the best person Stiles, the strongest person I know. You saved my life so many times, you saved all of us, and, god, Stiles, we let you down, I let you down.”

“Don’t…” Stiles started to protest but Derek glared him into silence. 

“Stiles, I don’t know how the possession worked, if you could hear everything that Gusion said, if what he said was pulled from your thoughts and memories?” Derek asked and Stiles grimaced.

“I, there’s patches that are a bit blurry, it was like being locked behind a thick glass barrier, I heard most of it, I think, but, there’s other points where it’s just blackness, like he’d gotten complete control. But, yeah, I think, most of what he said, he got from going through my thoughts, my memories.” Stiles whispered and it was Derek’s turn to grimace, what Stiles had been through, he didn’t think he’d ever be able to forgive himself, he should have protected him better, he should have done more. 

“Stiles, I let you down,” Derek started, slapping a hand over Stiles’ mouth when he opened it to argue, ignoring the look of complete indignance on Stiles’ face, “because I never told you how important you are, I never told you why I never offered you the bite, and, I hate, I really hate, that you could ever doubt how much you mean to me, to all of us.” 

Stiles was staring at him, not even attempting to argue and Derek thought that maybe he was finally getting somewhere.

“Stiles, you were always pack to me. I never offered you the bite because I never believed you needed it. And you still don’t. Stiles, I let you down because I should have made sure you knew that you were pack, that you were the only pack that I needed, and, I should have known, I should have noticed what you were going through, and, Stiles, what I said to you, that day, at the school, about how I thought you had higher standards, and, I was just, I was upset, but, I should have never had said those things to you Stiles. I should have apologised, I wanted to apologise, and, I didn’t get the chance, and, then, everything happen with Gusion, and, I was so sure you hated me, blamed me, and, I understood, really, I did, but, then, with Scott, you blamed yourself, you were worried he’d hate you, for killing his dad, and, I thought, it made sense that you thought I hated you too, and, I didn’t want you to think that, because I messed up, a lot, but, the idea that you could think I hate you, it makes me feel like shit, because, Stiles, you’re important to me and I need you to know I care about you.” Derek rambled, Stiles still staring at him like he’d lost his mind. 

Stiles opened and closed his mouth a few times, obviously trying to process the information, redefining his previous thoughts, before finally gazing at Derek like he didn’t know what to think. They sat in silence for at least five minutes and Derek was getting more agitated by the second, he wanted Stiles to say something, he just didn’t know he wanted to hear what he was going to say.

“I, um, I don’t know what to say.” Stiles stammered eventually. 

“You don’t need to say anything, just, so long as you know that I don’t blame you, that’s all that matters. That you know I don’t blame you, and that you are pack, that you’ve always been pack and you always will be, if that’s what you want.” Derek insisted.

“I, Der, I, sorry, not often anyone makes me speechless.” Stiles joked and Derek almost collapsed in relief, if Stiles could make jokes then maybe they could be okay. Stiles cleared his throat nervously a few times before trying again, “I, it means, thank you, for, I’m glad, to be part of the pack, and, I’m, um, I’m really glad you don’t blame me for what happened.” Stiles said eventually, the sincerity and relief in his voice making Derek want to hug him and tell him it would be okay, so, that’s what he did, he leaned forward, pulling Stiles into a hug, feeling Stiles’ frame start to shake in his arms, and, a moment later, heard a few quiet sobs, he held on a little tighter and something inside Stiles seemed to break, he held tightly onto Derek, sobbing like his heart was breaking and Derek shifted to the sofa so that he could hold Stiles while he cried. 

“It’s okay Stiles, it’ll be okay.” Derek muttered quietly, stroking Stiles’ hair softly while his other hand rubbed his back soothingly. 

“Sorry.” Stiles whispered a few minutes later and Derek shook his head fondly.

“You’ve nothing to be sorry for Stiles, I’ve told you that.” He replied, knowing he needed to move away from Stiles, because, honestly, holding him this close it was driving him crazy, he never wanted to let go, he wanted to hold him and keep him safe for the rest of his life. 

Instead, he pulled away, enough that Stiles could swipe at his tears and let out a little laugh of embarrassment, Derek rolling his eyes before pulling Stiles into his side and letting him lean against him. 

When Sam and Dean returned, hours later, it was to find Stiles fast asleep leaning on Derek, Fang on his other side and both wolves glaring at them in annoyance, as if worried their presence would disturb Stiles’ slumber.

“Yo! Stiles!” Dean called, smirking at Derek when Stiles jolted upright and looked around at them, “We brought food!” Dean waved a couple of bags of greasy food in his direction and Stiles got up from the sofa wordlessly and followed Dean towards the kitchen, blinking a few times and wiping the sleep from his eyes, staggering, evidently still half asleep and only following the scent of grease and coffee. “Got to work harder than that wolfboy.” Dean taunted and Derek rolled his eyes, he was beginning to figure out just how much Dean enjoyed winding people up.

“It’s how he shows he likes you.” Sam muttered quietly as Dean went into the kitchen with Stiles and Derek shook his head. 

“He must love me them.” He muttered sarcastically and Sam grinned.

“Well, he doesn’t hate you, lets put it that way, he used to do it to all my girlfriends.” Sam laughed, clapping Derek on the shoulder as they went into the kitchen, Derek blushing furiously and taking a few moments to compose himself before he looked up, meeting Dean’s eyes, the man was grinning widely, knowing he’d embarrassed Derek and Derek gritted his teeth, he was going to get his own back for that, at some point.

“How’d your leads pan out?” Stiles asked through a mouthful of muffin and Dean shrugged. 

“We got nothing. Thought we had a few locations on where the Alpha pack might be staying, but, they were all empty.” Dean replied. Stiles stared at him for a few moments before he shut his mouth and glared at him.

“Hang on, you went to check where they were hanging out, we agreed we weren’t going after them until I had my magic back, and, instead, the two of you go in there armed with a couple of guns and no back up.” Stiles said heatedly and Sam and Dean both flushed guiltily. 

“Woah, hold up kid, we had more than a few guns, and, anyway, we were almost certain they were empty leads, chances that they were there was slim to none.” Dean replied. 

“Besides, we’re back, we’re fine, all in one piece, no harm done.” Sam added and Stiles rolled his eyes.

“Fine, but, only because you’re okay and you brought me muffins, you ever do anything so stupid again and I’m going to kill you, once I’m done saving your lives, again.” Stiles commented and both Sam and Dean huffed out a laugh.

“Yeah, and, remind me again how many times we’ve saved your ass?” Dean replied. 

“Pfft, not that many times.” Stiles said rolling his eyes.

“Alright, first we had the incubus.” Dean began, listing it on his finger.

“Excuse me, I totally had that handled until you guys interrupted me.” Stiles argued.

“What about with the goblins?” Sam added.

“I escaped myself, you guys didn’t even get there until I’d already escaped!”

“The mermaids.” 

“Alright, okay, fair enough, that time you saved my ass, but, I covered for you with that wendigo.” 

“Trying to talk it into not eating you wasn’t much of an escape plan.” Sam scoffed and Derek couldn’t help but grin, he didn’t like hearing about the kind of danger Stiles had been in, but, the look of amusement on Stiles’ face as he teased Sam and Dean and they both teased him in return, it melted something inside Derek, Stiles looked happy, he wanted him to be happy all the time. 

It was six days after Stiles’ return that things went to hell, Stiles had left in the early morning, his eyes that were still a dull red had been hidden behind his sunglasses. Stiles had explained about how his magic usually hit some kind of point and flooded back all at once, that it should be any time now because he was fed up of having to wear sunglasses everywhere he went, Derek had been a bit sad about that, he quite enjoyed looking at Stiles’ eyes when they were red, although, he couldn’t wait to see them back to their normal amber. Stiles had gone with Sam and Dean, just checking a few things out, nothing concrete and therefore no reason for the rest of the pack to panic, they’d said they’d go get groceries afterwards, so Derek wasn’t worried, honestly, he wasn’t, maybe if he kept telling himself that he’d believe it. 

He heard the rumble of the impala pull up when it had already started to go dark, could hear the steady beat of all three hearts and felt himself relax, they were fine. He heard the impala doors crack open and then a scent flooded through his nose that made his knees shake, the rest of the wolves all sat up ramrod straight, their attention on the scent that was coming from outside, their eyes flashing golden, their claws coming out, Derek was aware of his own vision taking on a hint of red. Even Lydia seemed to be on edge, in fact, the only ones who didn’t seem to be affected were Noah, Melissa and Allison, Derek could hear Stiles chuckling at something Sam said but his heart was beating loudly in his ears, he knew that beneath that scent there was something that smelled distinctively of Stiles, but, it was overwhelmed by something else that called to him, it was raw power and it made Derek tremble with want. 

Peter moved first, running straight for the front door, it was as if his movement pulled the rest of the pack from their trance and spurned them into action, all of them barrelling towards the open front door, practically clawing each other in their haste to get to the source of that scent. 

“What the hell!?” Stiles let out a squawk of surprise when the entire pack came charging at him, their eyes glowing fiendishly in the dark, they looked like they were ready to kill him and he took a step backwards in surprise. Fang was there instantly, tackling Peter to the ground before he could connect with Stiles, snapping his teeth dangerously close to Peter’s throat, Peter seeming more bothered about getting to Stiles than protecting himself from the wolf that was about to tear his throat out. 

Fang leaped off him but only to stop Jackson from getting to Stiles, grabbing hold of his leg and dragging him to the ground, Jackson letting out a growl of rage and turning on Fang, his claws catching Fang’s front leg and Fang snarling angrily, tightening his grip on Jackson’s leg and shaking viciously. Dean, Sam and even Stiles had guns drawn and were pointing them at the pack with hesitation, Dean stepping protectively in front of Stiles and tackling Scott to the ground when he charged forwards. 

“Stop!” Stiles shouted, well, ordered would probably be more accurate, it did nothing, the wolves continued to attack and then suddenly there was a large blast that knocked the wolves backwards but didn’t touch the humans that had gathered on the front porch and were watching events unfold in horror. 

Derek hit the ground hard, shaking his head slightly as clarity returned to his thoughts and shame and horror flooded through him, he could see the rest of the pack looking equally shaken, Fang glaring at them all as he limped back towards Stiles who rested a hand against his leg and closed his eyes before the wound healed in front of their eyes and the scent that had driven them all crazy spiked again. Derek took a steadying breath and climbed back to his feet, looking his pack over and checking them for injuries. Peter and Jackson seemed to have taken the brunt of it, Dean had a few scrapes from Scott and was still pointing his gun at them suspiciously even as Stiles rested a hand on his arm and the wounds began to heal. 

“Is somebody going to tell me what the hell just happened!?” Noah shouted from behind them and Stiles shrugged, he was obviously clueless to what had caused the wolves to lose their minds. Derek took another steadying breath, forcing his brain to focus on the fact that it was Stiles, that he didn’t want to hurt Stiles, that he wanted to protect him, that Stiles was pack, he was a friend. He could see the rest of the pack doing the same thing, inhaling slowly and exhaling equally as slowly, adjusting to the scent that had overwhelmed all of them for a few minutes. 

“It’s something to do with me, I think.” Stiles admitted and Derek’s gaze shot to him, was Stiles emitting that scent on purpose? “I, I didn’t think it would affect you guys, I mean, it hadn’t affected you so far, and, usually, it’s like an instant reaction kind of thing. I should have warned you, but, part of the reason I’ve been so reluctant to come back…” He paused taking a deep breath, “I’m some kind of monster magnet, like, um, if there’s something supernatural in the vicinity it’s going to find me first.” Stiles admitted, so quietly that Derek barely heard him. He tried to process that, tried not to imagine all the trouble that Stiles had found himself in over the past year, instead, he studied Stiles, trying to figure out what was different about him, until it suddenly became blaringly obvious.

“Your magic is back.” He said, no question in his voice, and Stiles stared at him in shock, Stiles’ eyes were their normal amber and there were no sunglasses in sight.

“Yeah, I mean, not completely, but, pretty much, yeah.” Stiles nodded. “But, that’s not…”

“I can smell it.” Derek interrupted and Stiles gaped at him in surprise. “Your scent is different, I mean, I can still smell you, but, it’s underneath something else, something strong, overwhelming, like…”

“Power. You smell like power.” Peter said and the other wolves nodded.

“Not just smell.” Lydia input, “It’s like, I can almost feel it, like a tingle underneath my skin.” She said and Stiles was still gaping at them in shock. 

“Sorry dude, it was kind of overwhelming.” Scott apologised.

“But, you’re okay now?” Dean asked suspiciously, his gun still held steadily at his side, ready to shoot them if they got out of hand. 

“Yeah, I think, it was just, it caught us by surprise, but, now, it’s, it’s still there, I still want to…but, I can control myself, it was just unexpected, but, now we know, we can control it, can’t we?” Erica rambled, looking to the rest of the pack who all nodded in confirmation. 

“Okay, Lyds, you too?” Stiles asked and Lydia nodded, clenching her fists tightly at her sides. 

“Yeah, I don’t think, it’s not a scent, not for me, but, Erica’s right, it’s getting easier, it was just, overwhelming, but, I don’t think, I think I’ve got control again now.” She said firmly. 

“So, you are a monster magnet and you’re only deciding to tell me this now!?” Noah said in annoyance, “What does that mean Stiles? What do you mean anything supernatural in the area will find you? And, what the hell do you mean it’s part of the reason you’ve been avoiding coming home?”

“Okay, I can answer all that, I will, I promise, but, just, right, so, it’s a scent, or a tingle under your skin, maybe there’s some way I can like, I don’t know, shut it off or something.” Stiles replied, his mind racing a million miles a minute, if he could find some way to shut if off then he would be safer, they would be safe, he wouldn’t lead anything straight to the pack.

The more agitated Stiles became the stronger that scent became and Derek fought back a growl, clenching his fists and digging his claws into the palm of his hand in an attempt to remember his humanity. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to attack Stiles or crawl on his knees, submit to him, bare his throat and let Stiles do whatever he pleased, beg him to touch Derek, to make love to him. Both were bad ideas. He needed to get a grip of himself.

“Stiles. Stop. Pacing.” He growled, squeezing his eyes shut and focusing on the sound of Stiles’ heart beating, trying to anchor himself. 

Stiles looked at Derek, who looked to be in physical pain, he glanced at the rest of the pack, saw the way they all looked to be on the verge of losing control, although none seemed to be as close to it as Derek and he stopped in his tracks, not sure what he was doing to make them all struggle for control but knowing he had to stop it. 

“Okay.” He whispered. “I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know how to stop it.” He admitted.

“Pacing is spreading the scent.” Derek grunted and Stiles nodded, trying to stay as still as possible as Derek took several deep breaths before nodding firmly, he had it under control, at least for now, so long as Derek didn’t do anything stupid like move a single inch. 

“He can’t never move again.” Sam complained and Derek nodded.

“Just, give me a minute.” Derek said, holding up a finger telling them to be patient, taking a few more breaths, adjusting to the scent again, managing to breathe through it, focus on Stiles’ scent, the scent that was buried under that power. “Okay, I’m okay.” 

“Good, well, let’s take this inside, before the neighbours get even more suspicious.” Noah said and Stiles nodded briskly. 

“Right, sure, are you guys going to be okay with that?” Stiles asked, “I can, go somewhere else, stay somewhere else if it makes it easier?”

“It’s your home Stiles, you’re not going anywhere.” Derek said, motioning the pack to go back inside the house, Stiles following after them a little awkwardly, still looking like he was moving a little stiffly. “Have you not healed yourself?” He asked and Stiles frowned in confusion for a minute before he understood what Derek was talking about.

“They’ve kind of pretty much healed anyway, there’s no point wasting magic fixing them, besides, they’re already going to scar, a couple more days and I’ll be back to normal anyway.” Stiles shrugged and Derek fought back another growl but this time it was because Stiles really didn’t look after himself enough, he’d healed Fang, healed Dean, and hadn’t even thought to heal himself, Derek was going to make sure he looked after himself from now on.

The scent was stronger in the house, he could see the others tense slightly and take a few steadying breaths before they continued forwards, sitting in the same seats where they had been before this all started, Derek did his best to follow their lead but his vision still had a hint of red and Stiles’ scent seemed to be flooding through his nose like nothing he’d ever experienced before. 

“Alright, so, we need to figure out how to get this under control, quickly.” Sam said firmly, and Derek nodded in agreement, he didn’t know how long he’d be able to stop himself from doing something stupid. “The Alpha pack are a threat, we know that, except, right now, I’m more worried about you guys than them. We can’t have a repeat of what just happened. You lose control again we put you down. Simple as that.” 

“Don’t be stupid. It’s not their fault.” Stiles argued and Sam glared at him in annoyance.

“They could have killed you.” 

“Except they didn’t, they didn’t even get close, so, chill out. We are not shooting them.” Stiles replied.

“Speak for yourself.” Dean muttered quietly and Stiles glared at him.

“We. Are. Not. Shooting. The. Pack.” Stiles growled and Dean rolled his eyes before conceding.

“Fine. But, if they attack you again, I’m not going easy on them.” Dean replied and Derek nodded in agreement, if they couldn’t control themselves, they needed stopping long before they got anywhere near Stiles, if he hurt Stiles he would never forgive himself.

“It’s not just about attacking him.” Isaac admitted with a faint blush on his cheeks and Stiles’ gaze shot to him. 

“What do you mean?” Stiles asked.

“I’m, um, you’re going to hate me for saying this, but, if you have the information, then, maybe you can find a way to stop it, so, um…” Isaac muttered and Stiles sighed impatiently.

“Get to the point Isaac.” He said.

“I want to, there’s, um, it’s attacking you, yeah, but, there’s something else, and, um, I’m not sure if anyone else felt like that too?” Isaac asked and Stiles fought back the frustration he felt, Isaac was nervous, he shouldn’t yell at him, he just, he needed to know how to stop this, he needed to know how to make sure he didn’t have to fear for his life for however long he had left of it. 

“You mean, the, um, other thing?” Jackson asked, blushing brightly and Stiles felt like he was missing something here.

“Can one of you tell me what ‘the other thing’ is before I seriously lose my shit?” Stiles growled, the pack all looked flustered, like they wanted to tell him, but, were embarrassed, and that made Stiles even more frustrated than before, honestly, what the hell could be so embarrassing? He was about to say as much when Lydia cleared her throat and he looked at her.

“I assume that Isaac is referring to the want or need or desire or whatever you want to call it, to, um, well, simply put, to have sex with you.” Lydia explained and Stiles paled considerably. 

“I’m sorry, what?” He asked, thinking that maybe he was imagining things, that he couldn’t have possibly heard Lydia correctly. 

“You know the saying about ‘I’m not sure if I want to kiss you or kill you’? Well, I’m really not sure, part of me wants to kill you, there’s no doubt about that, your power is a threat, you are too powerful, you could kill me easily, but, it’s also very, very, attractive, like I want to bathe in that power, feel everything that you feel, even if it burns me alive.” Lydia explained.

“But…that…” Stiles cleared his throat and tried again, “That doesn’t mean sex.” He whispered uncomfortably. 

“No, you’re right, it doesn’t, but, whatever your power is doing, it’s seriously making me want to come jump on your lap and ride you until I can’t think straight.” Lydia admitted and it was Stiles’ turn to flush, especially as Jackson didn’t even seem remotely bothered by Lydia’s remark, and, in fact, was looking at Stiles in exactly the same way. 

“Right, okay, well, right.” He stammered, none of them missing the way he took a step away from all of them, or the way that Noah took a step closer to his son, as if ready to protect him from anyone who moved, “And, you, um, you all feel like that?” He asked, looking horrified when the entire pack nodded apart from Scott who just looked equal parts disgusted and relieved, Derek fighting the urge to growl because he didn’t want all these challenges to Stiles’ affection, he wanted to be the only one that got to touch Stiles, he did growl then, but, only to try and rid those thoughts from his head, he couldn’t touch Stiles, he wouldn’t allow himself to hurt him. 

Stiles’ heart was racing and the way his hands were clenched tightly at his sides he looked to be on the verge of a panic attack and Derek didn’t know what he could say to even begin to help this situation. 

“In all fairness though, I don’t know how much of that is your magic.” Erica shrugged and Stiles stared at her with wide eyes, “I mean, I used to think you were attractive, and, then you came back from your travels and you are really, like, super hot, and obviously I love Boyd, so I’m not going to try and do anything about it, but, like, I’ve thought about it, it’s just, your magic is amplifying it.” Erica admitted. 

“Okay, that’s a good theory to work with.” Sam interrupted, looking like he’d just had an epiphany, “Alright, had anybody here not thought about having sex with Stiles before his magic came back?” Stiles staring in confusion as only Scott raised his hand. 

“Knew I could count on you buddy.” Stiles joked although his voice still sounded strained. 

“So, Scott, you didn’t get the same urge as the others?” Dean asked and Scott shook his head.

“Just the desire to attack, that, I wanted that, power is the wrong word, it’s not power, it’s strength. You’re strong. Not, like, physically, but, you’re strong, you can survive anything thrown at you and it won’t phase you, I wanted that, that’s what called to me, because I want to be as strong as you, to be able to take the hits and keep going.” Scott explained haltingly, as the rest of the pack stared at him in astonishment. 

“And, the rest of you also got that?” Sam asked.

“No, I, mine was power, I wanted that power again, I wanted to be powerful enough to stop anything that came at us, to kill the Alpha pack without worrying that they’ll kill us first, to protect this pack in a way that I’d failed to do for my family.” Peter admitted. 

“Okay, and the rest of you?” Noah asked.

“I’m with Scott, Stiles’ strength was what I wanted.” Erica admitted.

“Yeah, strength, maybe, but, I don’t know, it was like, courage? I wanted to be able to face anything without fear, even if it meant taking the magic from you.” Isaac agreed.

“So, maybe, maybe your magic, like Erica said, it amplifies what’s already there. So, Scott respects your strength, your magic makes him want to take it for himself, Peter admires your power, he wants it for himself. It’s about taking something that they believe will make them better?” Sam suggested and Stiles shrugged.

“But, what about all the times I’ve been attacked by people or creatures or whatever that have never met me before? It’s not like they’ve been able to observe me and decide, ‘oh, hey, I like his strength,’ which, by the way, let’s call bullshit on that, I’m not strong, at all, but, anyway, point at hand, why would strangers attack me if that’s how it works?” He asked and Sam frowned.

“I don’t know Stiles, it’s a working theory though, maybe it’s a first look thing. You know, they smell your magic, they come at you, they notice something, something that calls to them more than anything else, like, the fact you don’t run away, you stand your ground, you protect whoever needs it, you challenge them, you attack them, the list is endless.”

“Hang on, I think you might be on to something.” Dean interrupted and they all turned to look at him, “You remember when we met, with the incubus?”

“Yeah?” 

“Well, it wasn’t going to kill you, was it?” Dean suggested.

“What was it trying to do then?” Scott asked quietly. 

“Incubus.” Dean replied as if that explained everything.

“Oh.” Scott muttered quietly when he realised what Dean meant, he looked to Stiles in worry, “Did he try to rape you?” He asked in the silent room and Stiles shrugged like it was no big deal.

“I had it handled.” Stiles muttered.

“But, you see what I mean? He didn’t even try to attack you? So, maybe it is something like Sammy said? Like, first impressions? I mean, the wendigo tried to kill you, but, that’s pretty much all wendigo’s do…”

“…The harpies wanted you to be their ruler...” Sam injected.

“Exactly!” Dean said triumphantly, “Maybe there’s something about you, that, when your magic is at full power, puts out some kind of, like, beacon, that sort of broadcasts your personality on a bigger scale, and, then, like, any supernatural creature in the vicinity can sense it, and, it like, I don’t know, I mean, I don’t know how you guys feel about it or whatever, but, I think it drives you crazy, because, there’s something about him that you want to feel about yourselves? To feel better about yourselves? To be stronger? Braver? More powerful? Or you want to fuck him, or whatever, but, his magic brings those thoughts to the forefront and you go on the attack to get what you most desire.” Dean said, waving his arms around in exaggeration and Fang rolled his eyes at him before he curled up on the floor near the sofa and went to sleep.

“I don’t think you’re doing a good job of explaining it, but, I sort of agree with what you are attempting to explain.” Peter said while the rest of the pack looked stunned.

“That doesn’t help us trying to figure out how to stop Stiles emitting that scent.” Jackson grumbled, his nose twitching slightly in Stiles’ direction and Derek fought back another growl, he would not get jealous over this, especially considering apparently the majority of the pack had thought about having sex with Stiles at one point or another. 

“I think I’m going to go out for a walk.” Stiles muttered, his face still pale and drawn as if he was about to be sick, his fingers shaking slightly, the only thing to give away his oncoming panic attack. 

“No, Stiles, just, hang on, we need to work this out, you can’t just run off, we need to figure out how to turn this thing off or something before it gets worse.” Noah insisted and Stiles pursed his lips in annoyance. 

“I just, I can’t be here right now, not with all of this, I just need to, I need to get out of here for a bit.” He said and Derek frowned. 

“Stiles, none of us are going to hurt you, we have it under control.” He tried to reassure Stiles but he looked even more pained at Derek’s words. 

“I know you guys won’t hurt me, but, look, look what I’m doing to you…I’m practically forcing you…I’m as bad as…god…I need some space, just, give me an hour to clear my head.” Stiles said practically running for the door. 

“Stiles, you aren’t doing anything…” Isaac began but his words trailed off as Stiles disappeared through the door, leaving Fang fast asleep by the sofa and the rest of the pack looking stunned at Stiles’ actions. “He’s going to come back, right?” Isaac whispered a moment later and Dean nodded firmly.

“He’s not running, he’s just taking a breath. Relax.” Dean insisted when the rest of the pack looked ready to chase after Stiles, even if they could sense the worry emitting from Dean, he looked like he wanted to go after Stiles too, except, he knew it wasn’t the right thing to do, not right now. Stiles needed space, all of them could see that.


	12. Chapter 12

Stiles walked around the streets silently, thoughts racing through his mind, he didn’t care if the pack hurt him, he was worried about how guilty they would feel if Stiles’ magic forced them to do something that they’d never normally do. He was still reeling from the fact that all of them, apart from Scott – thank god - had thought about having sex with him at some point or another and he just couldn’t understand that, it wasn’t like he was anything special to look at, he was pale and covered in moles, he couldn’t count all the scars he had, the Lichtenberg scar on the back of his neck always seemed to attract attention and although most of his jackets covered the majority of it, if he stripped down to just one t-shirt, people always commented on it. At least the rest of them were hidden under layers of clothes, as were his tattoos, but, he wasn’t attractive. There was no doubt in Stiles’ mind about that, he was broken, damaged, he thought everyone could see that, that they could all see how he felt like he would never be completely free of Rafael, of the marks the man had left on his body and on his mind, never be able to close his eyes without seeing his eyes staring back at him, a look of shock on his features as he collapsed to the ground, the bloodied knife still held tightly in Stiles’ hand. 

Except, if Sam and Dean’s theory was to be believed, and he had to admit it made a weird kind of sense, that Scott thought Stiles was strong, that he would never break, and Peter thought Stiles was powerful enough to defend the pack against any threat, Isaac thought he was courageous and Lydia thought he was powerful enough to kill her without any hesitation, he didn’t know what to think about that, about any of it, he head was in a mess, he just needed to switch off, he needed to get a couple of tubs of ice cream, go home, binge watch game of thrones or Harry Potter or whatever Sam felt like watching and just forget about everything that had happened since they’d arrived back at the house this evening. 

He nodded in determination, yeah, that was exactly what he was going to do, he spun on his heel, retracing his steps back to the convenience store he’d passed a few streets back and headed inside, standing in front of the freezer he realised that although he knew what Sam and Dean would want, he had no idea what flavour any of the pack would want, once upon a time he would have done, but, they’d changed and Stiles didn’t want to just assume that their ice cream choices were the same as they’d always been. He rolled his eyes in exasperation, he was really overthinking everything at the moment, and pulled out his phone. 

“So my plan is ice cream and game of thrones. You guys in?” He said as soon as the phone connected and Scott laughed. 

“Yeah buddy, that sounds good, get me chocolate brownie please.” There was another voice at Scott’s end and Stiles waited patiently, “Dean says if you forget the cookie dough on purpose again then he’s going to make you seriously regret it when it comes to training.” Stiles laughed, grabbing several tubs of ice cream and dumping them in his basket. 

“Dean’s just upset because I can outrun him, it’s because he’s getting old.” Stiles whispered conspiratorially and Scott chuckled, already telling him everyone else’s orders as Stiles grabbed the necessary ice cream and headed to the checkouts. 

“So, are we starting from episode one? Or do you have to start like part way through season three or something?” Scott asked and Stiles rolled his eyes.

“Dude, this is game of thrones, not star wars, you just watch it in order.” He teased.

“Hey, that’s not my fault! Honestly, I don’t understand why they did it in that order anyway, like, why not just make number one first? Where’s the complication in that?” Scott whined while Stiles shook his head fondly, handing over some cash and heading out of the store. 

“Because, episode one is the prologue…” Stiles started, trailing off when he looked up from the footpath and saw five figures blocking his path. 

“Stiles? You okay? Fang’s woken up and he’s not happy about something? You still there?” Scott asked but Stiles’ heart was racing, his mind running at a million miles an hour as to how the hell he was going to get out of this one. 

“Mr Stilinski, what a surprise seeing you here.” 

“Deucalion.” Stiles replied cautiously, he could hear only silence on the other end of the phone now, knew they were all listening in, no doubt already planning on how to find him and help him. “Well, I’d love to say this was pleasurable and all that, but, I have ice cream and it’s melting so I need to get going.” He said casually, holding up the bag of ice cream for evidence and trying not to show his sudden panic as he turned around and walked in the opposite direction. 

Kali circled around him, standing in front of him and smirking evilly and Stiles swallowed loudly when he realised that the Alpha’s had him surrounded.

“I had heard that the Winchesters were running around with a mage, but, I would have never imagined it would be you.” Deucalion said and Stiles shrugged, unsure what he could say in response to that.

“He smells good.” Ennis grunted and Stiles gritted his teeth. 

“Yeah, so I’ve been told. Look, I don’t want to have to kill you right now, I mean, we’re in the middle of town, all anybody needs to do is look out of their windows and they’ll see you, so, I think that maybe starting an all-out supernatural battle isn’t the way to do this right now.” Stiles said reasonably. 

“Really? Well, what would you suggest?” Deucalion smirked.

“I’d suggest you letting me take this ice cream home before it melts and then we can continue this some other time, in some other place, where there aren’t tens of people who could become witnesses to the supernatural if there’s even the slightest disturbance.” Stiles said, already knowing that it was pointless, Deucalion was insane, he wouldn’t see the logic in Stiles’ argument. 

“That’s a very nice idea Stiles, but, you see, I have a better one.” Deucalion grinned, his claws tapping gently against his trousers, drawing Stiles’ attention. 

“If you touch him I will tear you apart.” Derek’s voice came over the phone, growling loudly and he knew the others had heard it if their smirks were anything to go by. 

“Oh Derek, so nice to speak to you, now, personally, I think the better idea would be to see what the mage is capable of, he’s got a lot of power, I don’t disagree with that, but, making it work for me, well, that’s going to be a lot more satisfying than just killing him.” Deucalion smiled easily.

“We should just kill him anyway.” Ethan muttered, “Keeping him alive means more chance of him killing us.” 

“Glad one of you has some sense.” Stiles replied, “You get that, don’t you? Ethan is right. You best kill me now, because you even attempt to hold me against my will and you will die, screaming and begging for mercy. If you go for the kill now, I’ll be nice, I’ll make it quick for you.” Stiles said threateningly and both Ethan and Aiden swallowed nervously whereas the older Alpha’s didn’t look intimidated at all and Stiles tried not to show his annoyance at that, he needed them scared, he needed them to back off, because, honestly, he wasn’t sure he was capable of taking out five Alpha’s at once, not without any backup. He had a gun down the back of his jeans, easily covered by his jacket, he could start shooting, but, that wasn’t quiet, and, more importantly, they were in a residential area, if he missed, he could end up shooting an innocent bystander, or, his dad having to arrest him for murder if he hit anyone. Really, the gun wasn’t an option. He had a small knife tucked in next to the gun, but, it was just an ordinary knife, not an angel blade, it would barely do any damage to a werewolf and he’d have to get in close to use it. He wasn’t sure that was an option either. Fang was at the house, no doubt freaking out about the panic Stiles was feeling, but, he wasn’t going to be any use. The pack weren’t even sure where he was, never mind getting to him in time, he didn’t know what the hell he could do other than fight and try and outrun them the second he got a chance. 

“That confidence is a very attractive trait I must admit.” Deucalion smirked and Stiles felt his stomach lurch at the thought of Deucalion touching him in any way other than trying to kill him. 

“Shame the same can’t be said for you, I mean, there’s nothing even remotely attractive about you.” Stiles replied snidely, taking a step sideways, putting him closer to Ethan, if he was going to do this, he was going to have to take the fight to them.

“I thought being possessed by a demon would have toned down your attitude, but, apparently not.” Deucalion remarked and Stiles growled at him.

“Yeah, I got possessed, and, guess what? I survived, I exorcised that bastard from the inside, except you guys, you all turned tail and ran at the very thought of a demon coming to Beacon Hills, so, excuse me if I’m not even a little bit afraid of you, I mean, you call yourself the demon wolf, except, you get the chance to meet a real demon and you ran away with your tail tucked between your legs, so, excuse me if I’m not trembling at the sight of you.” Stiles said forcefully and Deucalion’s face fell slightly at the mention of Gusion, it was the first time Stiles thought he might have the upper hand and he decided to push his luck, “You want to rule Beacon Hills, well, I’m standing in your way and I’ll always be standing in your way and if you think you can take me out when even a demon couldn’t, then, by all means, go for it, but, if you want to live, then you’ll do the smart thing and leave town, right now, before I decide it’ll be easier to just kill you regardless.” He threatened. 

Stiles really believed, for a whole split second, that he might have convinced Deucalion that it was a bad idea to attack him, and, then, then he pounced and Stiles only avoided having his stomach torn open by shoving the ice cream in front of him, the bag was ripped clean through by Deucalion’s claws and ice cream fell all over the floor, Stiles was pissed about that, all he’d wanted was to watch some crappy television with his friends and eat some ice cream, and, now, Deucalion was trying to ruin all that. 

He released the hold on his magic, allowing it to flow easily to the runes that adorned his body, feeling the change in his body the instant they reacted, he swung a fist at Deucalion, using enough speed and strength to catch the wolf by surprise and knock him backwards off his feet. There was a split second of hesitation, where everyone seemed to hold their breath, before Stiles dropped the remains of the bag, shoved past Ethan, and sprinted away from them as fast as he could. 

He could hear voices shouting from the other end of the phone that was clenched tightly in his hand as he ran, but he couldn’t hear what they were saying, instead he was focused on the footfalls coming from behind him and that seemed to be closing in, he pushed harder, knowing if he could at least get them nearer the preserve he stood a chance of being able to use his gun. He could see the trees up ahead, if he could just get there, he just had to make it another hundred feet, he could do that, just a little further.

A clawed hand caught his shoulder and dug in, he instantly regretted leaving the house without his special hoodie on, yanking him backwards off his feet and Stiles let out a little huff of surprise as he hit the ground hard, he was already rolling backwards out of reach and scrambling back up to his feet but it was already too late, the one second delay had been enough for the Alpha pack to close in they were all standing around him again, claws clearly on display and red eyes flashing. 

“Let’s play again, that was fun.” Kali teased as Stiles grimaced at the blood stemming from the wound in his shoulder. 

“Don’t you know you should never run from a wolf little red?” Ennis laughed and Stiles rolled his eyes, like he hadn’t already thought of every single red riding hood joke going. He made a show of dusting himself off, trying to buy himself a few more moments to try and figure out another escape plan, as it was he’d managed to lure them closer to the preserve, there weren’t nearly as many houses around here, except, Stiles would still prefer to be completely away from them before he started shooting. 

“Really? You are so powerful that it makes me tremble with pleasure, and, yet, you choose to run as your plan?” Deucalion laughed and Stiles felt relief flood through him when he saw Fang coming running towards him through the preserve, the rest of the pack not far behind. 

“No. My plan was to get you here, which I did.” Stiles grinned wickedly, the Alpha pack all startling when they heard Fang approaching, staring at the rest of the pack in surprise, whatever they’d had planned, it wasn’t to go up against the full pack, not now that they also had Fang and two pissed off Winchester brothers who already had their guns drawn. 

“Get away from him.” Derek snarled as they came to a stop a few feet away from the Alpha’s, Stiles was stood behind them and Derek didn’t like that, didn’t like that the Alpha pack were stood between him and Stiles, he could tell Fang didn’t like it either if the way the wolf snarled with his hackles raised was any indication, Stiles, however, looked so relaxed despite the blood on his t-shirt that Derek wanted to growl at him for his sheer stupidity, why the hell did he go out of the house knowing that his scent lured creatures towards him and knowing the Alpha pack were in town!? Was he that reckless with his life? Derek shook his head, now was not the time to yell at Stiles, he could do that later, when he was safe. 

“This is unexpected.” Deucalion said, although he still looked calm and Derek growled at him, “Oh, please, Derek, let’s at least be civil about this. We’ll leave your pack alone if you let us leave with the mage.” 

“You’re not going anywhere with him.” Noah shouted, his gun pointed firmly at Deucalion. “Now, back off, before I decide to start shooting.”

“Really, Sheriff, there’s no need to be so hostile.” Deucalion smiled charmingly, moving so quickly that nobody was prepared for his plan, grabbing Noah around the throat with one hand and the other went to his wrist, twisting viciously until Noah dropped the gun. “Now, let’s try this again. You walk away. We leave with him. Nobody has to die.” 

Stiles was terrified and furious at the same time, Deucalion could kill his dad and how dare he threaten his dad!? Stiles was pretty sure the only thing holding him in place, stopping him from marching up to Deucalion and ripping him apart with his bare hands was the face that his dad was human, was fragile, and, right now, Deucalion’s claws were far too tight around his father’s throat. He needed to find a way to get Deucalion to release his dad, he needed for the Alpha to be more interested in getting to Stiles than killing Noah. He didn’t know why the Alpha’s hadn’t reacted as strongly to his scent as his own pack had, but, if he could somehow get them to focus on him, even if it meant they were going to attack him, then at least his dad would be okay. He didn’t know what to do or how to make it work but he concentrated every ounce of magic he had into making his scent stronger, more appealing, he knew it was working when he saw Derek clench his hands into fists and shoot a look at Stiles, he worked harder, it had to work, he had to get Deucalion’s attention, no matter the cost to himself, so long as his dad was safe. 

Everyone seemed to still a moment later, noses all twitching in his direction, and, god, he wanted to make a dog joke so badly, but, he couldn’t lose concentration, his dad’s life depended on him projecting whatever it was that drove them all to the edge of their senses. Deucalion let out a loud roar, releasing his grip on Noah’s throat and diving towards Stiles. His actions spurred everyone else into movement, the rest of the Alpha’s turning on him while his own pack seemed to be fighting their instincts to attack Stiles, looking like they wanted to go after the Alpha’s but were too distracted by Stiles’ scent. He sent out a pulse of magic, knocking all the Alpha’s backwards long enough to buy himself some time and then Fang was there, grabbing Aiden by the back of his leg and stopping him from getting to Stiles, Dean took a shot, hitting Ennis in the leg, the werewolf growled but it didn’t stop him from still moving towards Stiles. 

“Stiles!” Allison called out in panic as Deucalion charged straight at him, shoving Ennis out of the way in order to get at him, Stiles pulled out his knife, not really sure what the hell he was going to do with it, yeah, maybe he could take on one werewolf, but, five Alpha’s and his own pack, there was no way in hell he was going to get out of this unscathed. He shifted his stance, slamming the knife into Deucalion’s chest with as much force as he could, it didn’t do much, but it was enough to slow him down, and, then, miraculously, Derek tackled Deucalion to the ground and the two Alpha’s fought viciously, snarling and clawing at each other in an attempt to defeat the other. Stiles was too busy trying to stop Kali from gutting him to be able to check Derek was doing okay, he dodged away from her claws, sending out pulses of magic that kept Ethan from slamming any claws into his back while he danced out of Kali’s reaches, each attack getting closer and closer, Dean and Sam taking down Ennis, Fang pinning Aiden down and snarling viciously, Derek and Deucalion still fighting on the ground. 

Stiles’ vision went red, his magic coming to the forefront, dying to be used, desperate to protect the pack and himself by any means necessary, Kali’s claws caught in the soft flesh of his side at the same time that he shoved the knife into her brain, he stared at her in shock, watched as her eyes went blank and she collapsed to the ground lifeless, her claws retracting from his side as she fell. Stiles didn’t have any time to dwell on the fact that he’d killed Kali, he was too busy dodging a second attack from Ethan to think about that. He spun around, tackling the other Alpha to the ground and punching him hard in the face, using his strength rune to pack more power behind the punch and it was enough to knock the Alpha out. 

“Stiles!” Noah called out in relief, running towards him, Stiles turned to look at the damage around him, Ennis was dead, shot several times by Sam and Dean, Deucalion was lying dead underneath Derek, his throat torn out, Derek was pretty torn up but he was alive, panting heavily and covered in blood, several of the wounds looked pretty serious, but, he was alive. Aiden was still pinned by Fang, he was looking around at the others in horror but the pure fear on his face was purely for his brother, calling out for him desperately. 

“You okay?” Dean asked and Stiles nodded, wincing slightly as he got to his feet, the pain in his side throbbing angrily. 

“Stiles, turn it off. Whatever you’re doing, turn it off.” Peter hissed angrily and Stiles frowned in confusion.

“What?” He muttered. 

“Unless you want me to lose control completely and try and rape you, turn it off.” Peter growled dangerously and Stiles paled.

“Right, right, yep.” He stammered, closing his eyes and concentrating on trying to dispel his magic, remove whatever scent he was emitting.

“Is it working?” Dean said a few minutes later when nobody had moved, the wolves all still looking tense, his gun still held half raised, ready to shoot any of the wolves if they made a move on Stiles. Peter nodded tightly, still looking pained, and breathing shallowly, but, it was working, that was what mattered. 

“Yeah, it’s more bearable.” Scott nodded, his claws still digging into the palm of his hands. Stiles didn’t want that, didn’t want them to be that close to losing control because of him, he pushed harder, working just as hard now to stop his scent as he had done earlier, this was a matter of life and death, he would not be responsible for them losing control, it wasn’t fair. He built a mental barrier around his magic, trying to concentrate on trapping his scent inside it, visualising it and putting as much willpower behind it as he possibly could, he could almost believe it was working if the amount of magic it seemed to suck from him was any indication, his knees felt weak and his hands were shaking but he refused to be the reason that any of them lost control.

“Stiles, you can stop now, it’s okay, your scent is normal, just you, no magic.” Isaac said and Stiles frowned, he barely had a grip on it, if he stopped he knew it would come flooding out again, he couldn’t let that happen, he had to shore up the defences somehow, he had to stop emitting whatever it was that drove them all so crazy. He concentrated on visualising an actual wall, imagined his magic all being blocked off behind it, that none of it would be able to get out, he put every ounce of strength he had into making the wall solid, dependable, able to withstand everything. His magic faltered for a moment and it was enough to make Stiles lose concentration for the briefest second, and the wall came crumbling down. 

Stiles stumbled slightly with the force of it, only staying upright because Dean caught hold of his arm, he opened his eyes in surprise, not surprised to find his vision had gone red, he saw the wolves all tense again slightly, but not nearly as bad as before. He felt weak, woozy almost, it was only when Dean pressed a hand against his side and Stiles hissed in pain that he realised he was still bleeding. 

“God damnit Stiles.” Dean cursed, applying pressure and keeping it there, putting his other hand on Stiles’ jaw and meeting his gaze, “Stiles, heal yourself, now.” He ordered, Dean was worried, Stiles felt clammy under his fingertips, he exchanged a nervous glance with Sam, Stiles had overexerted himself doing whatever the hell it was he’d been doing and now he was paying the price. 

“I got it.” Stiles said, pressing his own hand against his side and focusing on the healing rune on his chest, feeling it kick in and the wounds in his side and at his shoulder begin to mend, relaxing slightly as the pain began to fade even as his magic protested at the use and his knees shook, Dean gripping tighter in order to keep Stiles on his feet.

“You doing okay?” Noah asked and Stiles nodded weakly. 

“You guys?” Stiles asked the rest of the pack and they all nodded, Derek still looked worse for wear but he was standing, admittedly he looked a little shaky too, he was leaning heavily on Jackson but Derek was alive and Deucalion was dead, that was all that mattered. 

“We should move the bodies before anybody sees them.” Derek growled, still looking pained. 

“We need to kill these two.” Jackson growled pointing to Ethan and Aiden who were both still on the ground and looking rightly terrified. 

“No, no, don’t kill us.” Aiden pleaded, not moving from under the still snarling Fang, his eyes darting to his unconscious brother every few seconds. 

“Why not? You attacked our pack. You were going to kill Stiles. Why do we spare you?” Lydia snarled. 

“We were just following orders.” Aiden whispered.

“You’re Alpha’s. You don’t follow orders.” Isaac hissed. 

“We had to follow his orders, otherwise he’d kill us. I swear, if you let us go, we’ll leave, you’ll never see us again.” Aiden replied and Stiles stared at him, it didn’t seem like the Alpha was lying, and killing them in cold blood felt wrong, but, letting them go, knowing that they could come back and attack the pack again, that worried him.

“We’d only have your word for that. And, call me cynical, but, I don’t know that I trust your word.” Dean commented, his gun still pointed firmly at Aiden as if daring him to move.

“I’m telling you the truth, I swear, listen to my heartbeat, I’m telling you the truth, we only ever did what he told us to do, we didn’t even want to be in the pack, they made us join, they made us kill our old pack or we’d have to watch the other die. I swear to you, I never, we will never come back. You’ll never see us again, you’ll never hear from us, we’ll be as good as dead to you, I swear, please, just please, let my brother live, let us live.” Aiden explained and Stiles looked to Scott who nodded, Aiden was telling the truth. 

Still, everyone looked to Derek, waiting on their Alpha to make the decision, Stiles could see the tension on his face, he wasn’t sure what to do, could he trust the twins to leave them alone? Could he be sure they’d not leave and cause all sorts of trouble elsewhere? If so, then he would be responsible for any deaths they caused in the future, he could prevent that, if he killed them right now. But, what if they didn’t? What if they left and went off to live quiet, respectable lives? Could he kill them in cold blood on the off chance they killed somebody else in the future? He didn’t know and he wasn’t sure he could make that kind of decision.

“Aiden?” Ethan groaned, stirring back to consciousness and wincing as he sat upright, looking instantly for his brother and letting out a sigh of relief when he saw that his brother was mainly unharmed, at least he was still alive, which was better than the rest of the Alpha pack. “What’s going on?” He looked at the Hale pack, unable to figure out why he wasn’t dead yet, he should have been, they should have killed him.

“Ethan, you told the rest of the pack that they should just kill me,” Stiles began uncomfortably, glancing at Derek who gestured for him to continue and Ethan nodded numbly. “Why? Please, answer honestly, it’s really important.” Ethan looked at Stiles in confusion, glancing to his brother for some kind of explanation before he cleared his throat nervously.

“Because, you could kill us, easily. Leaving you alive meant more likelihood of us dying, and, I didn’t, I couldn’t watch Aiden die.” Ethan admitted. 

“Why did you join the Alpha pack?” Stiles pressed and Ethan licked his lips with nerves.

“They told us we had to kill our pack, otherwise they’d kill one of us, make the other watch, and then keep the survivor alive, that we wouldn’t even get the hope of seeing each other in the afterlife, not for a long time.” Ethan explained.

“So, you killed your own pack to protect yourself or your brother?” Sam asked, his voice filled with pity and Ethan nodded.

“They weren’t good to us, our original pack, it wasn’t family, not like yours, it was just a collection of wolves who gathered under one Alpha, and, when the Alpha pack attacked, they killed our Alpha first, they captured the rest of us and then they gave us the option, kill the pack and both survive, or don’t and watch my brother die or become their slave, I couldn’t, I didn’t want to see either outcome. I did as I was told.” Ethan said and the whole Hale pack fell silent, not missing the way that Ethan reached out his hand as if he was desperate to touch his brother’s hand, reassure himself that he was okay. “Please, I know you have every reason to kill us, but, before you do, just, please, let us say goodbye?” Ethan asked. 

“We’re not going to kill you.” Stiles said confidently. 

“Stiles!” Allison said scandalised. 

“We’re not.” He said, “Derek?” Stiles looked to Derek who still looked unsure on the decision, “Come on, we’re not going to kill them, you’re not a murderer, you’re not going to kill them in cold blood, none of us are, none of us are murderers.” 

“Stiles…” Dean complained.

“We’re not.” Stiles insisted, “You’ve spent this past year drilling it in to me that I’m not a murderer, that the lives I’ve taken have been self-defence, necessary to protect others or myself, so, either, you were lying which we all know you’re weren’t, or, we’ve only ever killed those that needed killing, when it was a choice between life and death. So, you really think you could kill them? Right now? For no reason? They’ve done nothing other than follow the orders of their Alpha in fear for their own lives. We’re not going to kill them.” Stiles said, the others looked uncertain, although they could see the logic in his words, Ethan and Aiden both looked almost hopeful, looking at Stiles with something like awe and disbelief. 

“You mean, you’re going to let us go?” Ethan whispered and Stiles shrugged. 

“I don’t know. I just know that we’re not going to kill you unless you give us a reason to.” He replied evenly, looking to Derek for confirmation, glad to see that he was starting to heal from the wounds he’d sustained against Deucalion. 

“Yeah, Stiles is right, we’re not murderers.” Derek grunted, he wasn’t sure what he was going to do with the twins, but, Stiles was right, he wasn’t willing to kill them, not unless they attacked him or his pack. 

“We still need to move the bodies.” Dean commented and Stiles nodded, wobbling slightly when Dean let go of his arm, Noah grabbed onto him and Stiles grabbed at him gratefully. 

“Just a bit of a head rush.” He said dismissively. 

“Alright, Boyd, you, me, Scott, Erica and Jackson can take care of the bodies, Noah, can you and Sam get Derek and Stiles home? Sam will take a look at your injuries, see if they need stitching up, the rest of you, maybe take the twins to one of your houses, somewhere we can hold them until we decide what to do? Sound fair?” Dean instructed and Stiles would have rolled his eyes but that kind of felt like a bit too much effort. 

“I’m not leaving my pack with other Alpha’s.” Derek growled, “They’re still a threat.” 

“What would you do then?” Dean snapped. 

“We’ll take them to ours.” Stiles said quickly and everyone turned to look at him incredulously, “Look, they’re not going to attack us, they aren’t that stupid, so, we take them home and we talk about this, we figure out what our next move is going to be.” 

“Fine.” Dean snarled, pulling Aiden to his feet aggressively and glaring at him, “If you try anything, if you even think about hurting him, I will put a bullet between your eyes. Got it?” 

“Yes.” Aiden whispered, sounding terrified and looking at Fang who was pacing in agitation next to Dean. As soon as Dean let go of him he moved to his brother and hugged him tightly, Stiles knew Dean had to have seen that, see the similarities in them, that he would protect Sam with his life, just as Aiden would protect Ethan. 

“You’re sure about this?” Noah whispered in his ear and Stiles nodded firmly, it was the right thing to do, or, at least it felt like it. “Okay, let’s do this then.” Noah said, wrapping an arm around Stiles’ waist and leading him back towards the house that was at least a mile away, Stiles really wished he’d stuck closer to the house instead of going out for a walk, Dean and the others staying behind to drag the bodies into the preserve and no doubt salt and burn them.

“You guys owe me ice cream by the way.” He said good-naturedly, turning back to look at Ethan with a slight grin when there was a sudden bolt of white hot pain through his head, it felt like his head was about to be split open and his eyes rolled backwards, his knees buckling as he collapsed lifelessly to the ground, oblivious to the ensuing panic that was surrounding him.

Derek surged forward, ignoring the pain in his ribs, breaking free of Isaac’s grip on his arm, in order to catch Stiles before his head hit the floor, and, despite the fact he could still hear Stiles’ heart beating steadily, panic flooded through him like nothing he’d ever felt before. 

“Stiles!” He cried out in terror, resting a hand against the steady thrum of his pulse to reassure himself that Stiles was still alive, “Stiles? Can you hear me? Wake up.”

“Move.” Sam said, practically pushing Allison out of the way in order to get to Stiles, “What happened?” He asked crouching down next to him.

“I don’t know.” Noah said sounding tearful, “He was talking, he was okay, and then he just, he collapsed.” 

“Kali injured him.” Aiden said and they all looked at him like he was an idiot.

“Yeah, but, he’s healed that injury.” Sam replied dismissively. 

“Kali puts poison on her claws, not all the time, but, sometimes.” Ethan informed them. 

“Poison!?” Derek growled, terror surging through his veins, “What kind of poison? Where’s the antidote?” 

“There isn’t one.” Aiden replied, “It won’t kill him though.” He said, hoping that would ease some of their worries.

“What will it do?” Sam asked, checking Stiles’ breathing and relaxing slightly. 

“He’ll live, and, he’ll be okay. She uses it as a torture technique. He will live through it.” Aiden insisted. 

“Let’s get him home, then you can tell us everything you know.” Sam ordered and Ethan and Aiden both nodded, Derek scooped Stiles up into his arms easily, not caring about how it made his ribs ache, he wanted to be the one to hold Stiles right now, it was the only way he was going to stay sane, ignoring the way that Fang hovered next to his legs, refusing to move more than a step away from Stiles, and carried him back to the house. 

By the time Derek had got Stiles home and safely put him on his bed, Fang jumping up onto the sheets and making himself comfortable, resting his head on Stiles’ stomach and glaring at the rest of them, as if daring them to do anything to hurt Stiles, everyone else had arrived home. 

Derek went back downstairs, nodding at Dean who mumbled a reply before he headed upstairs to check on Stiles himself. The twins were stood against one of the walls, close enough that they could be touched if necessary, far enough away from the rest of the pack that it was obvious they were intruders here, as soon as Dean returned back downstairs Derek turned to the twins and stared at them.

“The poison Kali used, I want to know everything about it.” He said and Ethan and Aiden both nodded nervously.

“Right, yeah, she calls it ‘Lucifer’s potion’, because, basically, it’ll make him feel like his body is on fire…” 

“Lucifer burns cold.” Dean commented and everyone turned to look at him in surprise. “Sammy spent some time with him.” He added and their gazes went even wider if that was at all possible.

“He possessed me, I jumped into his cage, trapped him there. He burns cold. Hell was hot though, wasn’t it?” Sam replied casually, like it was no big deal and Dean shrugged. 

“When I was there, yeah, but, Crowley took it over and it sounds like it’s not as bad as it used to be, more mental than physical torture now, but, I’m not in the mood for heading back right now to check.” Dean replied. 

“What the hell!?” Jackson whispered in shock, his gaze going to the rest of the pack and seeing the same stunned expressions on their faces. 

“Right, so, ‘Lucifer’s potion’ is probably the wrong name.” Peter muttered and everyone nodded numbly, still staring at Dean and Sam with wide eyes.

“Yeah, um, apparently so, but, that’s what she calls it.” Ethan said, obviously trying to wrap his mind around the fact that the men in front of him had been to Hell and spent time being possessed by Lucifer. 

“So, it’ll make him feel like his body is on fire, and, what? It wears off after an hour or two?” Dean asked and Ethan shook his head. 

“It will wear off, but, it’s closer to twenty-four hours.” He admitted, “And, um, that’s not the only thing, it’ll effect his senses too. He won’t be able to see, hear, taste, feel, for the next twenty-four hours, once he wakes up, all he’s going to be able to know is fire, burning, agony.” The pack all looked sickened at this and nobody knew what to say.

“But, after that, once it wears off, his senses will return? He won’t be blind or deaf or anything?” Noah asked sounding terrified. 

“Yeah, yeah definitely, Kali used it to torture people, she’d let it wear off, then make them watch as she put more on her claws, she said it was more likely to get the results she wanted if her victim got to see exactly what was happening, know what it meant, and be able to do nothing about it.” Aiden explained. 

“That’s sick.” Isaac muttered and Aiden and Ethan both nodded. 

“She’s used it on us before, so we know what Stiles is going to go through, it’s not going to be enjoyable for him, or for any of you. He’s not going to be able to hear you or see you, he’s not going to know you are there, and, you’re not going to be able to offer him any kind of comfort, and, that’s going to be the worst thing about it, knowing that you can’t do anything other than wait for it to leave his system.” Ethan explained, everyone looking at them in dawning horror, they’d thought there would be some way to comfort Stiles, that he’d at least know they were there with him, not to mention the fact that Kali had tortured members of her own pack, the twins were better off without that pack, Derek was sure of that. 

“Why did you come back to Beacon Hills?” Peter asked, it was a question they’d all been curious about, the reason as to why the Alpha pack returned to Beacon Hills and what they wanted. 

“Deucalion wanted to take over Beacon Hills, it’s a hive for supernatural activity, you guys know that, and, he thought if he was the Alpha running Beacon Hills then he’d be able to control anyone who wanted to live here, or, carry out evil plans or whatever, he never really explained it properly, but, yeah. When the demon came, Deucalion told us we were leaving and we didn’t argue, demons, man, as far as we knew he’d decided to give it up, that Beacon Hills wasn’t worth the hassle.”

“But you came back?” Derek queried.

“Yeah, Deucalion got wind of the fact that a mage had surfaced, he didn’t believe it, not at first, but, then, he heard more rumours, of things the mage had done, he figured out it was true, and, he heard the stories that the mage was travelling with the Winchesters.” Ethan explained. 

“And he wanted the mage why?” Isaac asked.

“Power I guess? I don’t really know, he never explained what he was going to do with the mage once he got him, other than he was going to manipulate his power somehow, like, drain it or something? We don’t know, he never really explained it properly, but, yeah, we came back to Beacon Hills, his plan was to kill the pack, take over Beacon Hills and then lure the mage here, create a hunt for them, bring them here, kill the Winchesters and take the mage. None of us expected the Winchesters and the mage to come here before the pack were dead, and, then, then we found Stiles, and, it was obvious he was the mage, we could smell the magic coming off him.” 

“But you didn’t attack him immediately?” Lydia said in confusion.

“Only because Deucalion ordered us not to, it was a close thing though. I wanted to, but, we managed to keep it under control, just about.” Aiden commented. 

“So, the plan, as far as you know it, was to kill us, lure the Winchesters here, kill them, capture the mage and then somehow drain his magic?” Noah asked and Ethan and Aiden both nodded. “They’re telling the truth?” He asked Derek who nodded in confirmation. “Alright, well, I guess, we just have to wait for Stiles to wake up? For the poison to work its way out of his system?” 

“I guess so.” Derek replied uncertainly, hating the idea that as soon as Stiles awoke he was going to be in agony. He didn’t have to wait long, within five minutes Stiles’ terrified, agonised, screams interrupted their discussion, Derek ran up the stairs, everyone else hot on his heels, he burst into Stiles’ bedroom, rushing towards Stiles who was thrashing on the bed, screaming in agony, his whole body was tense, his muscles clenched, his body radiating pain that made Derek grimace. Fang was standing protectively over Stiles, snarling aggressively at Derek and the rest of the pack, refusing to allow them anywhere near him, protecting his Alpha when he was unable to defend himself.

Stiles was screaming, his back arching off the bed as he thrashed in pain the sheets tangling under his feet as he tried to get away from whatever was causing him this agony.

“Stiles! Stiles, we’re right here, I’m right here son, I’m with you.” Noah said but it had no effect, Stiles just kept screaming in pain. “Fang! Move! I need to get to my son!” Noah shouted, Fang still growling at them and stopping them from getting anywhere near him.

“Fang!” Derek snarled, his eyes flashing red and he moved forwards until Fang eventually submitted, cowering slightly as he still stood over Stiles. “I’m not going to hurt him, you know that.” Derek said, reaching out a hand to touch Stiles’ arm, snarling in frustration as his attempts to draw the pain from him were fruitless. 

Ethan and Aiden only looked on with sympathy, there was nothing any of them could do, only wait, it was already driving them insane with how helpless they felt and it had only been five minutes, how were they supposed to survive twenty-four hours? How was Stiles? 

Noah held Stiles’ arm, it was all he could do, he prayed his son could feel it, take some comfort from it but there were no indications that he could, Stiles just screamed, he screamed until his voice cracked and broke and faded into nothingness and still he opened his mouth, screaming soundlessly, grimacing in agony, no sound leaving his throat. They’d had to tie him to the bed after the first ten hours in an attempt to stop him from hurting himself, Derek had felt awful about that, but, he didn’t know what else to do, Stiles was thrashing about so much he was sure he was going to break something if they didn’t stop him somehow. Everyone was crowded in the room, all staring at Stiles with devastation and helplessness, their pack member was in agony, being tortured, and there was nothing any of the could do other than bear witness to this torment. 

Stiles was drenched in sweat, tears streaming down his face as he writhed helplessly on the bed, his mouth open in a silent scream of torment, his chest heaving but his voice long since given out, the entire room were sitting silently, staring at Stiles, waiting for it to end, tear tracks on their cheeks, fingers balled into fists at their sides or clutching the furniture so tightly it was creaking under the strength of their grip. 

They all prayed that it would end soon, that it had to end soon, it had been nearly twenty-four hours, it had to be coming to an end. When twenty-four hours came and then passed with no sign of the torment ending Derek began to really panic, what if the twins had lied to him somehow? What if the poison was killing Stiles? What if he was dying and they’d sat around and done nothing? God, he never should have trusted them! He rounded on Aiden, grabbing him by the shoulders and slamming him into the wall. 

“Why isn’t it wearing off!?” He demanded and Aiden looked terrified, glancing at the pack who were all gathering behind Derek, Dean and Sam both had their guns drawn and Aiden had no idea what to say to them. 

“I don’t know.” He stammered. 

“It should be wearing off.” Ethan said, standing shoulder to shoulder with his brother, bracing himself for an attack but refusing to leave his brother’s side. “It always wears off around the twenty-four-hour mark.” 

“Maybe Stiles received a higher dose than usual?” Peter suggested, trying to be helpful while every atom in his body made him want to tear the twins limb from limb until they fixed Stiles. 

“Possibly?” Ethan agreed, “Kali would usually just scratch someone with one claw, but, it looked like she got Stiles pretty good, maybe, the more poison, the longer it takes to leave his system?” 

“He won’t survive any longer!” Noah said sounding terrified, it was obvious the strain this torture was taking on Stiles, Derek agreed with him completely, he didn’t know if Stiles would be able to survive much longer, and he knew the pack was struggling, watching Stiles, being unable to help him at all, it was taking a strain on all of them. 

“It won’t kill him.” Ethan insisted. “I get it, I know you’re all hurting watching him, I understand, truly, I do, I’ve had to watch Aiden go through it and not be able to help him. But, it won’t kill him. Kali designed it not to kill. Just hurt. He will survive, I swear to you, I swear on my life, he will live through it.” There were several grumbles from the wolves, it was obvious that Ethan was telling the truth, but, the thought that they had to wait even longer for Stiles to be okay, it was driving all of them to the edge of insanity. 

Stiles didn’t know anything other than blackness and pain. He had lost all concept of time, he thought he was screaming but he couldn’t hear anything, couldn’t see anything, just darkness and pain, agonising pain, his body was on fire, he couldn’t see it, couldn’t touch it, but it felt like his skin was being burned off piece by piece, it felt like his organs were melting, it was burning, searing, agony and he didn’t know what to do to get it to stop. 

Finally, god, finally, the blackness started to lighten, fade to shades of grey until eventually, what could have been minutes or hours later, he could see shapes, he blinked a few times, trying to clear his vision, ignoring the burning that was still running rampant through his body, in an attempt to figure out where he was, figure out what was going on. He could feel something digging into the skin of his wrists and ankles and he began to panic, where was he? Had he been kidnapped? He was tied up somewhere, who had him? What had happened? 

He blinked a few more times, pulling against the bindings that held him in place, stilling when his father’s face drifted into his vision. His dad’s mouth was open, as if he was talking, but Stiles couldn’t hear him, he opened his mouth, trying to tell his dad that he couldn’t hear him, but, no sound left his throat, oh god, was he deaf? What the hell had happened to him? 

Somebody passed his dad a glass of water and Noah tipped it towards Stiles, he gulped it greedily but it didn’t ease the burning in his chest, he choked, coughing and sputtering and spitting out the water, doing his best to sit up and falling back onto the bed when it felt like his brains were going to melt out of his head. 

“…said it would work…” 

“…better than…”

“…help him…”

“…why can’t he…”

“…poison damaged something…”

“…he’s sick, we need to take him to the hospital.”

“The hospital won’t be able to help. The poison is wearing off, sight and touch return before hearing. It will come back.” 

Stiles groaned, rolling his head sideways and looking at the ropes that were tied around his wrists, he was lying on his bed, in his bedroom, and he was tied to the bed, what the hell had been going on? He pulled on the bindings sluggishly, everything felt like so much work, his head hurt, his throat was burning, it felt like he’d screamed himself hoarse. 

“Stiles, hang on buddy, hang on a sec and we’ll have you free.” Dean’s voice sounded close but Stiles couldn’t see him, he was so tired, he just wanted to rest, he couldn’t concentrate on anything other than undoing the bindings on his wrists, pulling repeatedly on them even as fingers brushed against his skin and the ropes fell from his body, he moved his arms closer, wrapping them around his chest, hoping it would ease the burning. He felt a warm hand on his shoulder, not realising that he’d scrunched his eyes closed again at some point, he blinked them open, surprised to find that the entire pack were gathered in his bedroom, all looking at him with worry in their eyes.

“How much longer do you think?” Sam asked, directing his question to Ethan.

“Anytime now, I think, I mean, he can see us, and he was aware of the bindings, so he must be able to feel things again, his hearing should return any time, you’ve just got to be patient.” Ethan explained and Stiles groaned, trying to sit up and ignoring the way the room span, trying to speak to tell them that he could hear them but no sound coming out, his throat felt like it was on fire, he cleared his throat a few times but it made no difference. He reached out with trembling fingertips, smiling gratefully at Isaac when he reached for the glass of water and handed it to Stiles, Stiles took a few sips and it eased the burning just slightly. 

“Stiles? It’s okay. You’re okay.” Noah said, sitting on the bed next to Stiles and resting a hand on his arm, still looking worried, “You’re going to be fine.” He said loudly, as if he was speaking to someone who was hard of hearing and Stiles shook his head fondly. 

“Can hear you.” He replied, wincing as the words felt like they were torn from his throat, the look of sheer relief flooding through his father’s face, and the rest of the room, made Stiles feel bad, he wasn’t sure what had happened or how long he’d been out of it, but, it was obvious they’d all been worried. 

Fang leaped up onto the bed, crowding next to Stiles, licking at his face as Stiles rested against his side, leaning on him and closing his eyes gently, he was exhausted, he just wanted to rest. 

“How are you feeling?” Derek asked sounding worried.

“Tired.” Stiles admitted croakily. 

“The burning will stop pretty soon.” Aiden muttered and Stiles opened his eyes to look at the twins, they looked relieved that he was okay which Stiles was confused about, but he didn’t have the energy to try and figure it out right now. 

“What do you mean? Is the poison still burning him? I thought it was supposed to wear off? Stiles, are you still in pain!?” Sam said sounding panicked.

“m’fine.” Stiles grumbled, the burning was already beginning to fade from his body, he didn’t even want to deal with the fact he’d been poisoned, he could deal with that some other time, he just wanted to sleep. 

“My ass are you fine.” Dean replied in annoyance, checking Stiles’ forehead for a temperature and ignoring the way Fang growled quietly at him. “You’re a little warm but, nothing major.” Stiles nodded, he’d kind of figured that already.

“We should let him sleep.” Aiden piped up and Stiles glanced at him in surprise, could the twins read his thoughts? “It exhausts you, he needs to rest, recover, he’ll be fine, he’s just tired.” Stiles nodded in agreement, he was tired, he felt like he could sleep for a week. He curled up closer to Fang, burying his head in the soft fur of Fang’s underbelly, closed his eyes and drifted to sleep easily, feeling safe and protected.

The instant Stiles drifted off to sleep Dean felt exhaustion wash over him, now he knew Stiles was okay, that he was safe, he could barely keep his eyes open, the last thirty hours had exhausted all of them, he practically collapsed onto the bed on the other side of Fang and fell asleep instantly, the others following his lead and practically falling asleep where they sat. 

Stiles woke up slowly, he felt warm but it was a good warm, it wasn’t the burning that he’d experienced before, it was comfortable, safe, he blinked a few times, slowing coming back to awareness, he was in his bedroom, he was half covered by a sleeping Fang, he could see Dean’s back on the other side of the bed, his dad and Sam had their feet propped up on the bottom of the bed, leaning back in chairs, the rest of the pack were scattered around the room, Ethan and Aiden sleeping near the wall, curled up next to each other as if to protect each other from any dangers. Stiles rolled slightly, he could feel a deep ache in his muscles, as if he’d had a particularly long run followed by a long training session with Dean, he shifted just a little bit and could see a head of dark hair, Derek was leaning against the bed, his head tipped back, mouth hanging open slack in sleep. He was close enough that Stiles would be able to reach out his fingers and touch Derek, he moved again, his fingers tightening the slightest bit in Fang’s fur when he moved and his body protested the movement, letting out the slightest whimper of pain and then jumping in sudden surprise when Derek jolted upright, twisting on the floor to study Stiles. 

“Stiles, are you okay?” He whispered, staring at Stiles as if he would be able to see the damage to Stiles’ skin through the clothes hiding his body. 

“I’m okay.” Stiles replied quietly, his voice was still cracking and his throat was on fire, but, he was okay, really, he was. At least he wasn’t in burning agony any longer, and, he wasn’t as exhausted as he had been immediately after waking up in his room, he still wasn’t sure exactly what had happened to him, he’d heard them say poison, knew that something had happened, but, he wasn’t that bothered, so long as they were all alive and okay, and that he was okay too, he wasn’t too fussed about the details. 

Derek was still staring at him, his eyes raking over him and Stiles could feel a faint blush starting on his cheeks, it kind of felt a little bit like Derek was checking him out, but, Stiles wasn’t sure that was the case, it couldn’t be, Stiles wasn’t attractive, and, okay, he knew Derek must have thought about having sex with him at some point, otherwise Stiles’ magic wouldn’t have caused him to react the way he did, but, apparently so had pretty much all the pack, so he didn’t think it counted as anything serious, probably just a passing thought. If Stiles was honest with himself, and he rarely was, he did find Derek attractive, there was no denying that, anybody who saw Derek would think he was attractive, they’d have to be blind not to think that, but, Stiles, he wasn’t sure what to do with that. It wasn’t like he’d ever had any kind of relationship, he’d always kept his distance from anything like that, he’d never wanted to get close to anyone, never wanted to risk them seeing beneath his mask and he’d never wanted to risk being used in that way again, it was safer, it was better, for him to be alone. 

Except, Derek, he knew everything there was to know about Stiles, and he hadn’t run screaming for the hills, he told Stiles he was important, that he mattered, that he was pack, that he cared about him. Stiles shook that thought from his head the moment it entered it, Derek cared about him as a pack member, he cared as his Alpha, he cared as a friend, and, really, according to some statistics that he’d read, ninety-eight per cent of people had admitted to thinking about having sex with a friend at some point or another so it wasn’t exactly unusual. 

“Stiles?” Derek queried and Stiles blinked in surprise, he’d obviously zoned out when Derek was talking to him and he grimaced, god, he was such an idiot, thinking about dating Derek was not what he needed to be focusing on right now. 

“Sorry, what?” He asked and Derek grinned at him, Stiles felt his breath catch for the briefest second, because, yeah, Derek was actually sort of stunning and Stiles could kind of imagine waking up to Derek’s face every morning, oh god, he needed to get a grip, he couldn’t, Derek didn’t think of him like that, not really, Stiles couldn’t start thinking that way, he couldn’t make an idiot of himself. It was just typical of him that the first person he started to think about in a not strictly platonic kind of way for the first time in his life was someone who was completely out of his league and would never look at Stiles as anything other than a member of his pack. 

“I was asking if you’re still in any kind of pain?” Derek repeated and Stiles shrugged, his muscles already starting to ease.

“Not really. What happened?” He asked, shifting in the bed slightly, enough that he disturbed Fang and the wolf woke up, clambering all over Stiles, waking Dean in the process who grumbled and rolled over, saw Stiles was awake and sat bolt upright, knocking Sam and Noah’s feet off the bed and within moments the whole pack were awake, looking at Stiles with relief. 

“How are you feeling kid?” Dean asked, rubbing sleep from his eyes and Stiles shrugged. 

“Like I got poisoned.” He admitted sheepishly, scratching just behind Fang’s ears as the wolf attempted to climb into Stiles’ lap which he was much too big for. “What happened?” He asked again, clearing his throat a few times until he spotted the glass of water on his bedside table and drank it greedily, his throat feeling a lot better almost instantly. 

“Kali had poison on her claws, when she wounded you, the poison, it took a few minutes for the effects to hit you.” Sam explained. 

“How long was I out?” He queried.

“Just over thirty hours.” Scott replied, “The twins told us that it wouldn’t kill you, that you’d survive it, but, it was only supposed to be twenty-four hours and we were really beginning to panic.” 

“Oh.” Stiles muttered, he was kind of getting used to missing days at a time, he’d just kind of hoped that now he’d managed to control his healing abilities, that it wouldn’t keep happening. “No wonder I’m hungry.” He tried to joke, trying to lighten the mood, glad when Dean grinned at him. 

“Want do you fancy? Pancakes?” 

“And orange juice.” Stiles added as Dean rolled off the bed with a sigh. 

“Yeah, you’re fine.” Dean teased, smacking Sam’s legs out of the way as he headed downstairs. Stiles grabbed some of the clothes from his duffle bag, excusing himself to head into the bathroom and grab a shower, getting out of the clothes that he had been in for the past few days, glad that nobody had decided to clean him up while he was unconscious but knowing that he’d feel a lot better when he washed off the dried blood and sweat that coated his skin. 

By the time he was dressed he could smell pancakes cooking downstairs, he followed the smell, not really surprised that the entire pack were gathered in there, including the twins who smiled at him hesitantly as he walked in. He was starving and Dean’s pancakes were always amazing, so he piled several on his plate and started eating, knowing the others were wanting to speak to him about something, but, he wasn’t sure he even wanted to know what it was right now, all he wanted to do was eat his pancakes and then maybe sleep for a bit and then, well, then he didn’t know what he was going to do. 

“So…” Lydia began awkwardly when Stiles was finally finished eating, she was looking at Sam and Dean too and Stiles wondered what she was thinking, why she seemed so nervous, “I know we still need to figure out what’s going to happen with Ethan and Aiden, but, now the Alpha pack are taken care of, are you guys going to stick around for a while? Or have you got another hunt lined up already?” She asked, trying her best to keep her voice neutral and not sound like she wanted to beg Stiles to stay here with them, even if that’s exactly what she wanted to do. 

Stiles was aware that every eye was on him as he took a swig of his orange juice, buying himself a moment to think over what Lydia had said, did he really want to run away from home again? He’d fled before because of Rafael, because of thinking the pack hated him, believing that Scott would blame him and Derek would never be able to look at him without picturing Stiles raping him. Except none of that was true. They cared about him. They wanted him here. He should still leave though, he was a danger to them, he had no idea how to control his scent, how to stop himself from being the prime target of any supernatural being, except, the pack didn’t seem to be as bothered by it this morning. He frowned, feeling for his magic and finding it sitting there patiently, waiting to be used, the pack didn’t even react and that was weird, especially after their reactions previously. 

“Do any of you feel like attacking me just out of curiosity?” He asked and Scott scrunched up his nose in confusion. 

“What’s that got to do with what you’re planning on doing next?” Scott queried and Stiles shrugged.

“I’m curious, just, you know, the other day you were ready to kill me, today you don’t seem even remotely bothered, just trying to figure it out, that’s all.” Stiles replied. 

“It’s easier now, we’re used to your scent, can smell your scent underneath the magic, I think we’ve adjusted to it, the other day just took us all by surprise.” Peter explained and Stiles nodded in relief, he didn’t have to worry that by being here the pack would all be struggling for control every minute of the day. 

“So? Are you staying?” Derek asked and Stiles glanced to Sam and Dean.

“It’s up to you guys, I kind of thought I might try and find the men of letters bunker here in town, but, if you want to go home, or find another hunt, I’m okay doing that too.” He answered and Sam grinned.

“We’re staying, at least for a little while, I’m dying to find this other bunker, I wonder what kind of books they have there?”

“Seriously!? Books? That’s the first thing that jumps to mind?” Dean scoffed, rolling his eyes, and Derek braced himself, if Dean wanted to leave he knew that Stiles would follow him and he wasn’t ready for Stiles to leave again just yet, “Weapons. I want to know what weapons they have.” He grinned and everyone seemed to relax instantly.

“Always with the weapons dude, you have angel blades and a demon killing knife and gun, what other weapons can you possibly want?” Stiles teased.

“Well we won’t know that until we find the bunker, will we?” Dean replied easily.

“Um, what are the men of letters?” Ethan whispered sounding nervous and Stiles smiled, he liked the twins, okay, maybe they’d tried to kill him, but, pretty much everyone had at one point or another. 

“It’s a secret society, or, was, they all got wiped out by Abbadon who was a knight of Hell, and Sam and Dean are legacies, their grandad was a man of letters, but, their dad didn’t know because his dad just vanished one night when he was young, John didn’t find out about the supernatural until he was an adult.” Stiles explained, turning to Sam and Dean, “That sums it up pretty much, right?” 

“Pretty much.” Dean replied. 

“And the whole getting possessed by Lucifer thing, was that before or after finding out about the men of letters?” Aiden queried and Sam laughed.

“Before, way before. We didn’t find out about the men of letters until, hang on, I’d just escaped purgatory, you’d hit a dog…” Dean started.

“It wasn’t just hitting a dog!” Sam complained, “Besides, you’d been gone for a year Dean!”

“Anyway, I’d been in purgatory for a year, Sam hit a dog, we’d defeated the leviathans, stopped the apocalypse however many times by then…” Dean continued and Stiles shook his head fondly at the brother’s actions, god, they were pretty awesome guys, he was really glad he’d met them. “…And then we run into this little troublemaker on a hunt for an incubus and the rest, as they say, is history.” 

“Wow.” Aiden and Ethan muttered in unison. “That’s, um, wow.” 

“Yeah, pretty much.” Dean said. “So, where do you want to start looking?” He said to Stiles who shrugged.

“I’m not trying to like, um, I’m sorry, I get that this is important to you guys, but, like, do you want us to leave? Or like, tie us up in the basement? Or kill us? Or what? Just, we don’t know what your plan is here?” Ethan whispered uncertainly. 

“Unless something changed when I was out of it, we didn’t become murderers, did we?” Stiles asked and everyone shook their heads, “So, we’re not killing you, that hasn’t changed, and, the fact you apparently explained what the poison was doing, and you didn’t kill any of the pack while I was unconscious, you didn’t even try it, even when they were distracted and the Alpha was weakened, so, I don’t think keeping you prisoners is really a fair thing to do.” 

“Which means what?” Aiden asked looking to Derek who sighed, rolling his eyes.

“Which means, if you want, you are free to leave,” He paused, “Or, maybe, if you’d like, you can stick around, I mean, if you feel like it?” He offered and both Ethan and Aiden stared at him in astonishment while the Hale pack all looked kind of smug, like they’d been expecting their Alpha to make the offer. 

“You mean, you’d be willing, you’d let us in your pack?” Ethan said in awe.

“Yes, on a trial basis, we’d have to see how things go, but, I don’t think you are bad guys, so, I’m not going to throw you out on the streets, there’s a spare room at my loft if you don’t mind sharing, although most nights we sleep here, the pack room is upstairs. But, the trial isn’t just for us, it’s for you too, you might decide after a few days that we’re not the right fit for you, it’s important that everyone is happy, not just us, not just you. We trial it for a few days, or a week, or whatever, and, just, see how everyone feels.” Derek explained and, if possible, the twin’s eyes went even wider. 

“And if we weren’t happy?” Ethan asked.

“Stiles was right, you’re not our prisoners. If you want to leave, if it doesn’t work out, you’re welcome to go, we’re not keeping you against your will.” Derek replied, there was silence at the twins tried to process that, they’d never had such of offer extended to them before, never had someone offer them a place in a pack in such a way, never made it sound like they could have a place here, that it could be a home to them. 

“Thank you.” Aiden said eventually, Ethan was still too in shock to speak, but both of them felt the stirrings of hope in their chests, that this could become a real home for them. 

“Good, now that that’s resolved, I might have a few suggestions about where to start looking for the bunker.” Lydia said and Stiles grinned widely at her.

“I knew you were my favourite for a reason.” He teased and Lydia smirked at him.

“Flattery will get you everywhere.”

“Don’t say things like that, your fiancée might get jealous.” Stiles joked and Jackson shook his head in amusement. 

“I don’t know, I mean, Lydia’s not the only one who might be open to where flattery might get you.” Jackson replied easily and Stiles’ mouth dropped open in shock, his cheeks heating in embarrassment, of all the things he’d expected Jackson to retort with, the option of a threesome was nowhere on the list and his brain had kind of stalled out. “Jeez Stilinski, I’m joking, breathe.” Jackson said and Stiles nodded, his mind still racing, god, okay, so, sex, with Jackson, and Lydia, yeah, that, god, okay, breathe. 

“Stiles, he was joking.” Scott said, resting a hand on Stiles’ shoulder and Stiles nodded again, but his chest still felt tight, he took a few steadying breaths, his gaze on Scott’s chest, on his even, steady breathing, on the rise and fall of his chest, until, eventually, he could breathe normally again.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean…” Jackson began tensely, looking terrified at having upset Stiles so much. 

“Don’t worry about it.” Stiles said, waving off Jackson’s apology. “So, Lyds, you think you have some idea of where to start looking?” He asked easily.


	13. Chapter 13

Stiles couldn’t believe he’d already been back in Beacon Hills a month, time had flown by and it was weird how easily things had slotted into place. The twins had renounced their Alpha powers and were now happily Derek’s two new betas, the ease in which they had fitted in with the pack amazed Stiles, it was like they were always supposed to be part of the pack. Stiles had spent time trying to figure out how to control his scent and he was getting better at it, or so the supernaturals in the room told him. It was always an effort though, a strain that left him feeling weak and shaky if he held it for more than a few hours. It wasn’t brilliant but Stiles felt confident that he could at least go out for a few hours without drawing attention from anyone that he didn’t want to, even if it meant he’d spend the evening feeling weary and his magic spiked slightly, at least it didn’t seem to bother the pack as much as it had done originally so that was a positive, he didn’t have to worry about being attacked when he lost control of it for a little while.

In the three weeks since the destruction of the Alpha pack it had been quiet, Derek knew it wouldn’t last, the imps were the first to attack, the pack hadn’t known anything about it until the imps had attacked Dean while he was out on a supply run. 

Stiles, Sam and Derek had been out for a run while the others had their own plans and they’d spotted the impala abandoned at the side of the road, the driver’s door hanging open, Sam had raced towards it without any hesitation, Stiles and Derek right behind him. 

“Dean!?” Sam called out in panic, waiting for his brother to answer and letting out a groan of frustration when there was no answer. 

“Der, can you track him?” Stiles asked sounding terrified.

“Yeah.” Derek said, already picking up Dean’s scent along with something else he’d never smelled before, “He’s not alone, there’s something else with him, several somethings actually.” 

“We’ll deal with it.” Stiles growled, already pulling a gun and holding it steadily at his side, nodding at Derek to lead the way. Things with Derek were kind of weird, since Stiles had admitted to himself that he was attracted to the werewolf he’d had a hard time thinking of anything else, he sometimes found himself daydreaming about what it would be like to wake up with Derek, what it would be like to kiss him, what it would be like to date him, it was distracting to say the least. It didn’t help that Stiles often ended up sleeping in the pack room, they’d head in there to watch a film and he’d fall asleep mid-conversation with Scott and wake up half covered by sleeping wolves when one of them shifted in their sleep. Sam and Dean quite often stayed in there too and Stiles was so relieved that they were welcomed into the pack just as easily as the twins had been, he felt like all was starting to be okay, that they would all be okay, that maybe, somehow, this could become a home for all of them. 

Derek tracked Dean’s scent through the preserve, finding several imps in a clearing with Dean tied to a tree with a gag stuck in his mouth, the imps were dancing around a fire in the middle of the clearing, the moment Dean spotted them his eyes went wide with relief and Stiles was furious, he was so fed up of creatures kidnapping one of them, so fed up of creatures hurting the people he cared about.

“Stiles, calm it down.” Derek warned and Stiles stared at him in confusion. “Your scent.” Derek growled, his claws digging into the palm of his hands as he attempted to control himself, jumping Stiles now would not help the situation at all. 

Derek knew he’d been in love with Stiles before he’d left, knew that those feelings hadn’t gone away, but, having him home, he’d fallen in love with him all over again, he’d watched as Stiles had laughed at Isaac’s jokes, he’d studied him as Stiles drank mugs of coffee, his hair sticking up in all directions, his eyes still half-closed with sleep, studying the morning papers, barely aware of anyone else in the vicinity, Derek had stared at him from across the room while Stiles bonded with the pack, watched the way Stiles rubbed a hand over the back of his neck when he was nervous, or over his face when he was tired, the way he tipped his head from side to side to ease the ache in his neck when he’d been pouring over maps all day. 

Stiles was beautiful, but he was also intelligent, sarcastic, funny, loyal, brave, caring, charming, courageous, enthusiastic, focused, god, Derek could spend all day listing all the things that he found wonderful about Stiles, but, he wasn’t going to push things. He’d been in love with Stiles since almost the day he met him, he could wait until Stiles was ready, and, if he never was, or, if he was ready and it wasn’t Derek he was interested in, then Derek would be okay with that, all he wanted was for Stiles to be happy. 

Every once in a while, he thought he got a hint of arousal from Stiles, but Derek could never be sure that it was directed at him, and, really, Stiles had plenty of admirers, there was no denying that. Whenever Stiles went out there was somebody hitting on him, Stiles didn’t realise which was the only thing Derek had going for him, if Stiles knew how in demand he was there was no chance he would ever consider going out on a date with Derek. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he also had the pack to compete with, not only had Lydia and Jackson both offered to spend quality time with Stiles if he was interested, Erica and Boyd had both looked on in outrage before making the exact same offer leaving Stiles flustered and blushing brightly, Scott had told him that in no explicit terms that he and Allison were not going to make the same offer and Stiles had grinned at him gratefully. 

Ethan had even asked Stiles out on a date, Stiles politely turning him down before explaining that he wasn’t interested in dating anyone at the moment but thanks for the offer, Isaac had been the one to pull Ethan aside when Stiles and Sam had gone out and explain about Derek’s feelings. Ethan had rushed to him afterwards, apologising profusely, stammering that he never would have even suggested a date to Stiles if he’d known about Derek’s feelings, Derek told him it was fine, that he wanted Stiles to be happy, that if that was with Derek, great, but that he wasn’t going to terrify everyone else away if Stiles wanted to be with them, or, he’d try not to terrify them away, he wasn’t going to make any promises.

Stiles knew he needed to calm down, knew that he wasn’t helping Derek with his magic spiking, but, he was so fed up of having to try and keep his magic walled in, these imps had come after somebody he cared about, it was about time he showed everyone just what he was capable of. 

“Stiles.” Derek whined, his knees weakening slightly and his claws digging into the nearest tree as he held himself back from rushing to Stiles. Stiles glanced at Derek, feeling guilty at the strain he was putting the man under but too angry to really be thinking clearly, instead he allowed his vision to turn red, and rounded on the imps in the clearing.

“Hey!” Stiles called and every imp turned in his direction, their eyes flashing a vivid green when they caught wind of him, “You picked the wrong town, you leave now and I’ll let you live. You can tell everyone that you meet that this town is protected. That anyone who comes here will die painfully. That I will kill them. Or. You fight, and you all die now.” Stiles growled, his magic flowing through his body in a way he’d never felt before, he felt powerful, undefeatable, like every cell in his body was ready to fight, to protect what was his. There was a stunned silence, the only sound, Derek’s laboured breathing from where he still leaned on the tree for support, Sam looking at him worry and Dean shouting from behind his gag. 

The imps stood stock still, looking between Stiles and the fire behind them, before one of them grabbed a stick from the ground and charging straight at Stiles, several of the others following its actions and charging towards Stiles while the rest turned and ran in terror. Stiles shifted his stance slightly, bracing himself before he clenched his hands into fists and let his magic burst outwards, lifting them off the floor so that they hovered there helplessly for a moment before he blasted them all backwards so that they went flying through the air and hit the trees on the far side of the clearing, he’d never done that before, never used his magic in that way before, it was a bit of a rush. Sam and Dean had both stilled in their movements, staring at Stiles in awe as he concentrated his magic in his hands and they lit up, a red glowing mist extending a few inches away from his skin. 

“Stiles?” Sam asked nervously, not sure what was happening to Stiles but, Stiles seemed to have it under control, there was a triumphant smile on his lips, when one of the imps got back to its feet and charged at Stiles again, Stiles clenched his fist and sent a ball of magic flying outwards, hitting the imp, all of them watching in a horrified fascination as the imp turned to stone in front of their very eyes. 

“I’ve got this. Get Dean.” Stiles ordered and Sam moved forwards, still eyeing Derek warily as he undid his brother’s bindings and Stiles shot blasts of magic at any imp who moved towards them. Dean shrugged free of Sam’s grip and snatched his gun up from the floor, checking that it was still loaded before he started shooting at the imps that were still coming after them. 

“You okay?” Sam asked and Dean nodded.

“Yeah, little beggars caught me off guard.” Dean grumbled as Sam checked him over for injuries. Within minutes the imps were defeated and Stiles allowed the magic to flow from his hands back into his chest, doing his best to lock it away and stop Derek from losing control completely. He grimaced slightly at how weak he felt when he managed to get control of it, but, the way that Derek sagged with relief made Stiles instantly forget how crappy he felt, guilt overwhelmed him at how much discomfort he must have caused Derek. 

“So, what’s with the magic hands? I’ve never seen that before.” Sam muttered and Stiles shrugged, he was still learning, he wasn’t sure he’d ever learn everything about his magic, but, magic hands was definitely something new and kind of amazing. He took a step forwards, reaching out a finger and poking the closest stone imp, glad when it didn’t do anything, he’d half been expecting it to turn back into an imp and attack him again. 

“What are we going to do with them?” Dean asked and Stiles shrugged again, they were pretty deep in the preserve, it was unlikely anyone would find them, and, if they did, nobody would know they were actual imps, people might just think they were statues that somebody had created. 

“Leave them here.” Derek growled, his wolf still sounding close to the surface and Stiles felt so much guilt over that it was unreal, he should have never released his magic on that scale knowing how it would make Derek react. 

“Sorry.” Stiles muttered apologetically and Derek flashed red eyes at him. 

“It’s fine.” Derek replied, clenching his fists a few times until he had it under control, he hated how much he loved the scent of Stiles’ magic, how everything inside of him called for him to go to Stiles and submit to him, tell him how much he cared about him, how much he wanted him, he fought that desire with everything he had, knowing Stiles didn’t need him declaring his unwavering love for him, Stiles needed his friends, his family. 

“So, what was that? A display of power?” Sam queried, Derek was kind of amazed, if it was, Stiles’ power was immense, Derek knew that already, he’d witnessed Stiles’ power when he’d forced the Alpha pack to attack him, he’d broadcast his power to the point that it had driven Derek half mad with desire. Thankfully Stiles seemed to have some control over it now, he managed to reduce his scent to the point where they could all function normally on a day-to-day basis, Derek thought it had something to do with the fact they were all around Stiles a lot more, it made it easier, sometimes, if Derek hadn’t seen Stiles for most of the day, he’d find that his scent would be more pronounced and Derek would have to take a few steadying breaths until he adjusted to it. They all did. Stiles was just glad that the pack no longer tried to attack him. 

“Maybe?” Stiles replied, examining Dean himself and sighing in relief when he saw that he was fine. 

“Maybe? Maybe what? You just decided to go all Medusa on a group of imps and you’re not sure?” Dean said and Stiles sighed. 

“I didn’t plan on doing that. That just kind of happened.” He admitted, “But, did I want to make a point? Hope that they run screaming and tell everyone that this town is off limits? Yeah. Maybe.” Stiles explained. 

“You can’t protect the whole town.” Dean grumbled and Stiles pursed his lips. 

“Can’t I? Beacon Hills is obviously some kind of hell mouth, we know that, I have magic, I can defend it, and, maybe, maybe I make sure people know it’s protected, what’s wrong with that?” Stiles replied. 

“Because you’re putting yourself in danger.” Dean argued, “People are going to hear about you, about the magic you possess and they’ll come. They’ll try to take it from you. You’re putting a target on your back.” 

“As opposed to what?” Stiles replied, “This is my home Dean, I want to defend it, however I can.” Derek tried not to show how relieved he felt when Stiles called this place his home, maybe Stiles would stay, maybe he’d stay with them, the declaration of power certainly made it seem like Stiles was planning on putting down roots here, after all, what was the point in telling people you were the protector of the town if you weren’t planning on staying in?

“I don’t like you putting yourself in danger.” Dean admitted and Stiles shrugged.

“I’m always in danger.”

“Yeah, but, this, it’s a...you’re asking for trouble.” 

“Let it come. I can handle it.” 

“That’s what I’m worried about Stiles, you don’t know what you are capable of, you turned them into stone without planning it or even knowing you could do it. I just, I don’t want you to bite off more than you can chew. I want you to be careful.” Dean advised and Stiles rolled his eyes.

“I’m always careful.” 

“You’re always an idiot.” Dean replied fondly, “Fine, alright, I’m not going to tell you how to live your life, but, if you’re doing this, if we’re painting a big neon sign on your back, we need to find the men of letters bunker, sooner rather than later, not that I don’t enjoy living with your dad, but, if we’re setting up shop here, I need my own space, at least a little bit.” Stiles stared at him in shock and Dean shrugged, “What?” 

“You want to stay? Here? Like, you’re okay with us staying here? You don’t want to go back to your own bunker?” Stiles asked and Dean glanced to Sam who put a hand on Stiles’ shoulder.

“You’re family Stiles, we’re not about to leave you now, besides, you’re right, Beacon Hills is a hell mouth, it needs all the protection it can get. We’ve been saying for a while about getting organised with other hunters, designating an area each, maybe settling down, handling all the hunts within a few hundred miles and trusting other hunters to handle other hunts.” Sam explained. 

“You’re serious? You’d quit travelling the country?” Stiles asked in shock, unable to believe that Sam and Dean would give hunting up.

“We’d still go on hunts around here, and, maybe the occasional one elsewhere if needed, we’re not going to stop helping people, but, if you want to stay here, then we’re happy enough staying here too.” Dean added and Stiles looked ready to burst into tears, “Only if you want to though?” Dean backtracked, “If you want to leave, if you want to go elsewhere, that’s okay too.”

“I don’t…why? Why would you give up your home for me? We’re not related. Not really.” Stiles said looking floored by their offer. 

“A wise man told me that family doesn’t end with blood. And it doesn’t. You are family to us Stiles, our brother and we’re not leaving you alone when trouble seems to always find you and we know we can help you. If you want to stay here, with your dad, with the pack, then, that’s okay with us.” Dean said and Stiles looked at them both in astonishment before pulling them both into a tight hug. 

“Thank you.” He whispered quietly and Derek couldn’t help but be grateful to them too, knowing that if either brother had chosen to leave, Stiles would no doubt have gone with them. He was looking forward to them staying in town, he got on well with Sam and he liked that Dean cared so much about Stiles, maybe he’d even get on with the man once he proved to him that he would never do anything to hurt Stiles. 

When they told the rest of the pack about their intentions to stay, Noah had burst into tears, looking so relieved that Stiles couldn’t help but feel guilty, he’d not realised that he was causing them so much worry just by not committing to staying here, Scott had hugged him so tightly that Stiles was a little worried that something had actually broken for a moment. In fact, by the time the pack had all hugged Stiles, Sam and Dean, they all felt a little overwhelmed. 

Lydia had made several suggestions about places she thought could hold the bunker, but, without the key, she hadn’t been able to investigate any further, they’d spent the last three weeks inspecting the buildings but none of them had been the right place, Stiles had found a few references that mentioned the men of letters in Beacon Hills so he was sure there was a bunker, he just wasn’t sure where to start. 

Peter was the one to find a book in the library that showed the same symbol as the key, he’d raced back to the Stilinski household, refusing to let go of the book until he’d placed it into Sam’s hands. Sam had stared at him confused until his eyes locked onto the symbol on the spine of the book and he gripped the book tighter, flicking open to the first page and stroking the page almost reverently. 

“What’ve you got?” Stiles asked around a mouthful of crisps, wiping his hands on his jeans and chuckling when Dean flicked his ear and told him to watch his manners. 

“Anything interesting Sammy?” Dean asked and Sam held up the book, showing him the symbol. “Huh, well, that’s promising.” Dean grinned and Sam nodded absentmindedly already reading the first page of the book, “Okay, well, we’ve lost Sam for the rest of the day, you want to go train for a bit?” He offered to Stiles, knowing that Sam wouldn’t resurface until he’d found something useful or he’d finished the book. 

“Yeah, sure thing.” Stiles agreed, throwing his food wrappers in the bin and moving towards the back garden, training had kind of turned into a pack event, even though it was a way for Stiles to improve his techniques, both with his bat, his knives, his gun and hand to hand combat, Dean and Stiles were pretty evenly matched without magic being involved, which Stiles attributed to Sam and Dean, without them he never would have gotten as good as he was. However, once the rest of the pack discovered they had hand to hand sparring sessions everyone wanted to see what it was they did, and, after half an hour of them watching, Isaac asked if he could have a go sparring with Stiles while Boyd sparred with Dean, from there it just kind of spiralled and now whenever there was a training session it usually devolved into everyone play fighting against each other until there was a clear victor. Most of the time it ended up being Stiles because he fought dirty, without even meaning to, Derek could have beaten him several times, he was sure of it, but, then he’d get distracted, his gaze following the bead of sweat that ran down Stiles’ neck to his shirt, or he’d end up listening to the racing of Stiles’ heart, or the scent of his enjoyment and then, next thing he knew, he was lying on his back staring up at Stiles who seemed amazed that he’d somehow managed to take down the Alpha time after time after time. 

Derek knew that his pride should probably matter to him more than Stiles’ face filled with disbelief and amusement, but, honestly, seeing Stiles grinning at him made Derek’s heart skip a beat. 

“I swear you’re doing this on purpose.” Stiles said when Derek was lay on the ground for the third time that day, “I’m not going to get any better at fighting if you lose on purpose.” He said in bemusement and Derek shook his head.

“I’m not doing it on purpose. I just, keep getting distracted.” He admitted, refusing to look at Stiles in case his eyes gave away the fact that being close to Stiles was very distracting for him. 

“Why don’t I give it a go kid? We’ll see if he gets distracted then.” Dean smirked and Derek rolled his eyes, shifting his stance and bracing for the attack from the older man while Stiles dodged a sneak attack from Allison, putting her on her ass before turning to Scott and grinning at him.

“Come at me Scotty.” Stiles teased. Derek only just managed to avoid the blow from Dean, dropping to his knees and then avoiding what should have been a knee to the nose, instead grabbing Dean’s leg and pulling it out from under him, they fought for a good ten minutes before Derek managed to pin him and grinned victoriously. 

“I see you didn’t get distracted that time.” Dean remarked, taking Derek’s offered hand to pull him to his feet, Derek was kind of surprised when Dean threw an arm around his shoulder and pulled him close, “You’re a good man Derek.” Dean commented out of the blue and it was enough to stun Derek into silence, staring at Dean with wide eyes. 

“Thank you.” He said a moment later, not sure what else he could possibly say to let Dean know how much those words meant to him. 

It turned out that the men of letters bunker was similar to their other bunker, but, also different. The key opened a tunnel that was buried under an old section of the library, they walked the tunnel for the better part of three miles before opening a hatch above their heads that led to a house. It was in the middle of the preserve, a log fire crackling in the fireplace, a soft glow coming from the lights, it looked like whoever lived here had just stepped out for a moment, but, they knew from the book that this branch of the men of letters had been destroyed not long after Abbadon murdered the other branches.

“It says there are enchantments surrounding the house, protecting it from view, nobody even knows this place is here.” Sam explained, “Kind of similar to what Cuthbert Sinclair did with his mansion?” He said and got blank looks from the majority of the pack apart from Dean and Stiles, “Okay, think Grimmauld place instead, nobody can see it unless they know it is here.” He added.

“Wow.” Jackson said and the others nodded in agreement. 

They wandered around the house, unable to believe that nobody knew it was here, that it was hidden from anyone who might want to do them any harm. It boasted a huge library, easily twice the size of the one at their old bunker and Stiles may have got a little teary eyed at the size of it, he definitely noticed Sam, Lydia and Peter all swiping their eyes slightly. The rest of the house was just that, a house, a home, there were several bedrooms and bathrooms on the upper two stories, and a kitchen, three offices, a dining room, living room and library on the ground floor. 

“I found the basement!” Erica called and Stiles followed the sound of her voice, following after her down into the basement, it was split into two sides, one side looking like an ordinary basement, the other a garage that opened onto a driveway that led away from the house into the preserve and no doubt back into town. 

“There’s the symbol again.” Lydia piped up, pointing to the men of letters symbol that was imprinted on the wall just behind the stairs that led down to the basement. Sam pressed the key against it hesitantly and another door swung open, Dean leading the way as the rest of the pack followed after him. It was a secondary bunker, some kind of panic room, this place reminded Stiles more of their old bunker, it had lots of hallways that led off in different directions and a main room that held even more books along with a kitchen and table, there was a room filled with spell ingredients, another with weapons, a few filled with boxes that would no doubt hold all kinds of interesting artefacts, and several rooms that had obviously been converted into bedrooms at some point or another, all in all, it was pretty amazing.

“This is incredible.” Peter said in awe, his eyes firmly fixed on the books in view. 

“Well, what do you think Sammy? Will it do?” Dean teased.

“Dean, this is, god, I never imagined somewhere like this could exist, nobody would even know we were here until we were a few hundred feet away from the house, it’s got great internet connection, plenty of space, privacy, safety, this is, I love it.” Sam admitted. 

“So, you’ll stay here then?” Noah asked sounding upset.

“Yeah, definitely.” Dean nodded enthusiastically, “Of course, it’s an awfully big place for just two people, and, I don’t know about you guys, but, I’ve kind of found your house a little cramped at times. I know you all have your own homes and stuff, although you never actually seem to be there, but, if you wanted to maybe have some stuff here, that, perhaps, might not be the worst idea I’ve ever had?” Dean offered. 

“Hang on, are you offering to let the pack live here with you?” Derek said in shock and Sam nodded, “But, this is a men of letters bunker, you can’t have supernatural creatures in the bunker with you, doesn’t it break some kind of law?”

“I think we broke that law when we had Cas, an angel, and then Stiles, a mage, in the old bunker. No point in sticking to the rules now.” Dean replied easily, “Only if you want to of course, don’t feel you have to.”

Derek’s mind was racing, here was somewhere, somewhere safe, where his pack would never have to worry about being found, being hurt or tortured or killed, here, they could be safe. Even if someone found their way into the house by some sheer miracle, they could hide in the downstairs bunker, and, more importantly, there were at least two escape tunnels down there, they’d be safe, able to escape from anyone who was hunting them. The generosity of the offer made Derek speechless, he genuinely didn’t know what to say to thank them, he knew he would never be able to express it enough, the Winchesters were offering his pack a safe haven, a home, for no other reason than that they cared. 

“Does that offer extend to those of us not supernaturally inclined? Only, my house is going to feel a little empty without any of you there?” Noah confessed and Stiles grinned at him. 

“There was me thinking you couldn’t wait to be rid of me again.” He teased, “Of course there’s room for you here daddio, in fact, you get first pick of the bedrooms, you know, being the oldest and all that.” Stiles joked, dodging out of reach so that his dad couldn’t smack him lightly around the back of the head. 

“So, you would be staying here? I mean, in town? You’re not planning on leaving?” Scott asked and Stiles shrugged.

“I guess we’ll have to go occasionally, handle the odd hunt or whatever, but, this is my home, it’s about time I started acting like it.” Stiles replied and Scott pulled him into a tight hug, looking a little teary eyed, Stiles rubbed a hand across his back soothingly, “It’s okay Scotty, it’s okay.” 

“I missed you man.” Scott replied and Stiles grinned.

“I missed you too.” Stiles said softly. 

The next few weeks were spent moving things from the Stilinski household and their own homes into their new home, everyone had their own room, or were sharing with their significant other, which meant they had their own space, but, there was also a master bedroom which was the pack’s, meaning anyone could sleep in there whenever they wanted to, Derek thought it was pretty perfect and he wasn’t sure he would ever be able to thank either Winchester enough for what they had done, not just for Stiles – taking him in and looking after him when they hadn’t needed to - but also for his pack. 

Stiles liked the house, he liked the space, he liked that he could always find a quiet corner and be able to sit and read but that he could just as easily wander into the next room and find it filled with his family, the people that mattered the most to him in the world. He’d noticed that Melissa and his dad had decided to stay in two rooms that were right next to each other and he smiled softly, he wanted his dad to be happy, he wanted Melissa to be happy, and they would be good together, he just wished they’d make it official or something. 

He’d found that the books in the downstairs library were filled with information on different kinds of magic users and he’d taken it upon himself to find absolutely anything and everything they had on mages in an attempt to understand his magic better. He was currently curled up in one of the chairs in the living room with the book propped on his knees, the rest of the pack were around the house somewhere or another, Sam was on the opposite side of the room, showing Derek and Noah blueprints of the house, explaining what he wanted to do to increase security in the very unlikely case of an attack, when Melissa walked in. 

Stiles noticed the way her eyes lingered on his father for just a moment before she caught sight of Stiles, flushing slightly as she turned around and left the way she had come, Stiles made the instant decision to follow after her, closing his book with a snap and practically jumping out of his seat, ignoring the looks from Derek and his dad and hurrying after Melissa. He found her in the kitchen, she was pouring herself a mug of coffee with a faraway look in her eyes, Stiles was kind of glad she was here alone, it meant they could talk without anyone interrupting. He hopped up onto the counter in the corner and Melissa startled slightly before Stiles shot her an easy grin. 

“So, why aren’t you dating dad?” He asked without preamble and Melissa nearly dropped her mug in shock. 

“Stiles! I don’t think that’s something we should be discussing.” Melissa replied, still sounding surprised.

“Oh come on, why not? You obviously like him, he likes you. Why don’t you just go out on a date? What harm could it do?” Stiles smiled, not expecting Melissa to look like she was on the verge of tears, “Melissa? What is it? You do like him, don’t you?” 

“Yeah, yes, of course I do, but, I can’t, we can’t, your father, he might not say it, but, he can’t ever care for me, not like that.” 

“Don’t be ridiculous. He likes you. I know he does. He gets this dopey little grin whenever you speak to him, it’s kind of pathetic, but, still, it’s cute.” Stiles replied fondly.

“No, I mean, we can’t, he, he can’t love me, not when he knows what I did.” 

“What you did? What are you on about?” Stiles asked in confusion.

“What I did to you Stiles!” Melissa shouted, “If I’d paid more attention, if I’d known what was going on, how could your father ever look at me like that knowing that I’m the reason you went through hell? It’s my fault Stiles and nothing you ever say can change that! I should have known what that bastard was doing to you! It was my house, my home! I should have known!” Stiles had gone white as a sheet, he was no longer relaxed, instead his whole body radiated tension, Noah was stood in the doorway of the kitchen, having heard Melissa shouting and come to investigate what was going on, Scott just behind him looking pale and shaky, Melissa was staring at the floor in hatred, as if she truly despised herself and Stiles hated Rafael with everything he had, the man hadn’t just hurt Stiles, he’d destroyed Melissa, he’d destroyed his family and Stiles wished with every bone in his body that the man had been made to suffer before he died. 

“Melissa,” He whispered gently, sliding off the counter and moving towards her, as if approaching a wild animal, raising a hand slowly until he could pull her into a hug, “It was not your fault.” He said firmly, holding her tightly as she sobbed into his chest, he refused to meet his father’s eyes, or anyone else from the pack who had now gathered in the doorway. “What he did, he did it. Not you. Never you. It was not your fault and I don’t blame you. Nobody does.” Stiles said sincerely, squeezing her tighter as if the hug would somehow make her feel better. 

“I should have known what he was doing.” Melissa sobbed and Stiles grimaced, still hugging her tighter. 

“Not, you shouldn’t. Why would you? He was a good man, a good father, he loved you, he looked after you and Scott, why would you think anything was wrong?”

“He wasn’t a good man Stiles.” Melissa cried, shaking her head against his chest, “He hurt you.” 

“Yeah, he did. But he did it. Not you. You loved me. You made me cookies. You put plasters on my knees when I fell over, you took me to the hospital when I fell out of the tree and thought I’d broken my arm, do you remember how upset I was? How I wouldn’t stop crying? Except, you wiped away my tears, told me it was all going to be okay, and then practically shoved everyone else out of the way so they could x-ray my arm. You’re like a second mom to me Melissa, you’re the one who always looked out for me, made sure I was eating enough, made sure I had clean clothes before I learned how to work the washing machine, you were there for all the school plays and lacrosse games, cheering just as loudly for me as for Scott. I never, not once, blamed you and I never will. So you shouldn’t either. Just because you didn’t know what he was doing, that doesn’t make it your fault.” Stiles explained. 

“Doesn’t stop me feeling like it was.” Melissa muttered tearfully and Stiles held her for a moment longer before he pulled away and looked her in the eyes. 

“I’ll tell you, all the time if you need it, it wasn’t your fault.” He reassured her and Melissa swiped at her eyes before giving him a watery smile. 

“Thank you.” She whispered and Stiles nodded.

“So, now, about this date then?” Stiles grinned, slinging an arm around Melissa’s shoulder and smirking at his dad. 

“Melissa,” Noah said, clearing his throat nervously, “Would you like to get a coffee with me?” Melissa blushed slightly and glanced at Stiles as if she expected him to shout at her for even thinking of saying yes, he squeezed her shoulder reassuringly and she nodded, shooting a small smile at Noah. 

“And that is how it’s done daddio! Dean, take notes!” Stiles crowed with triumph breaking into a blinding grin as Melissa let out a small laugh before Scott pushed past Derek who was staring at them with wide eyes, grabbed hold of Noah’s hand and pulled his mom, Noah and Stiles into a tight hug, while Dean just rolled his eyes and ignored the smirk that Sam sent in his direction.

“Dude, we’re going to end up being actual brothers!” Scott laughed and Stiles grinned easily. 

“Saying things like that will make Sam and Dean jealous.” Stiles joked. 

Noah and Melissa did go out for coffee, and, it went well, unsurprisingly to anyone who knew them. Derek was happy for them, he just kind of wished that things could be that easy with him and Stiles, that he could just go and ask him if he wanted to go out for coffee and Stiles would say yes, and just give him a chance, that was all he was asking for, a chance to prove to Stiles just how much he cared about him. 

They were closer than they had been, Derek knew that, he knew that the fact that Stiles knocked their shoulders together from time to time was an improvement, or the fact that Stiles would spend most nights in the pack room rather than his own room, or when Stiles would grin at him over the top of his mug of coffee, or smile softly when Derek told him to stop reading and go to bed, taking the book away from Stiles and shaking his head fondly when Stiles opened his mouth to protest. All he needed to do was work up the courage to ask Stiles out, explain to him that Derek cared about him, that he wanted to be with him, but, he wasn’t forcing it on Stiles, if Stiles didn’t want to date Derek then that was fine, he just wanted him to be happy, he would wait until Stiles was ready. 

Noah was the one that brought them the news of young men going missing, the third in a matter of weeks to be exact, he brought home the case files, putting them on the nearest table and sighing heavily, giving Melissa a quick peck on the cheek before sitting down on the sofa and putting his feet up on the table. 

“You okay?” Peter asked and Noah nodded, leaning his head back against the sofa and closing his eyes. “Bad day at the office?” 

“Yeah, you could say that.” Noah sighed.

“Want to share with the class?” Stiles queried, dropping down into the seat next to Derek, within easy reach of the case files when he leaned forward and rested his fingertips against them, waiting for his father’s permission before opening them. Noah let out another sigh, sitting forward and resting his elbows on his knees, looking to Sam and Dean and then the case files resting on the table. 

“We’ve got three missing young men, they’ve all gone missing over the last three weeks, they were all seen in a club downtown on each Friday night, none of them returned home, no bodies have been found, no traces of where they went, no ransom demands, the only thing we know for definite is that they all left the club with a mystery man, who, we believe is the same man in each case. Tall. Caucasian. Dark hair. There’s no indication it’s supernatural, I’m just coming up empty and it’s Friday again tomorrow and I have no idea where to even start.” 

“Alright, well, we can work with that.” Stiles said optimistically, picking up the case files.

“There’s something else.” Noah said, looking at him, and Stiles paused in his actions, “All the victims, they all share similar features.” 

“Okay, that’s good, it means this guy has a type.” Stiles said, flicking open the files and staring at the three photos, “Well, that makes it super easy, we don’t even need to look for bait.” Stiles added and Derek peered over his shoulder at the same time as Sam and Dean.

“Hell no.” Dean growled and Derek echoed the sentiment. 

“Dude, chill out, it’ll be fine.” Stiles replied.

“What’s going on? Who does it look like?” Scott asked, jumping up from the floor and coming over to look at the photos, he was met with three young men who looked similar to Stiles, one of them had a few moles on his face, the other slightly more tanned, but, all of them had the same shaped face, full lips, brown eyes and dark hair. If he had to pick Stiles out of a line up then these were the exact people he’d put in the room with him. “What? You think he’s going after people who look like you and your plan is to play bait?” Scott said incredulously. 

“Why not?” Stiles replied easily.

“You should be staying as far away from that place as possible.” Noah argued and Stiles rolled his eyes. 

“Look, okay, choices, one, I stay away, he keeps kidnapping people who look a little like me, we put police around the place but he’s obviously smart if you haven’t found any trace of them yet, so, either he picks a new hangout or he carries on getting around you, or, two, I go in, have a bit of a poke around, find out who knows what, find the guy, knock him out, you arrest him, he tells us everything you want to know about the missing guys, and, ta-dah, case solved! What’s the problem?” 

“The problem is you using yourself as bait.” Derek snapped and Stiles shook his head in bemusement. 

“Won’t be the first or last time. I make good bait.” He teased, not expecting the growl that Derek let out in reply. 

“You used him as bait!?” He growled at Sam and Dean who both grimaced.

“It’s not like he gave us much choice. We left him tied up in the motel room and by the time we got to the bar he was already there, chatting to the shape-shifter who we had been hunting for.” Dean argued. 

“Chatting to the…!?!?” Noah spluttered in shock, “Do you honestly have no sense of self-preservation!?” He shouted at Stiles who shrugged easily.

“No, I just have faith in my ability to look after myself, which, by the way, I’d totally appreciate if you all began to have even a little bit of faith in me too. Anyway, I’m an adult, which means, you get no say in the matter. I’m going to,” He paused, looking at the files again, “Blue moon? Seriously? Is everyone in this town in the know about werewolves?” 

“It’s actually a gay bar, they don’t know about werewolves.” Isaac commented and Stiles’ mouth dropped open in shock for a moment before he continued.

“Fine. Well, yeah, point is, I’m going to Blue moon on Friday night, with or without you, so, you can help me, or you can try and stop me, but, we all know that’s not going to work and I don’t really fancy knocking any of you out, so, are you going to help me or not?” Stiles said, the pack looked ready to argue but they saw the looks of defeat on both Sam and Dean’s faces.

“There’s no point in arguing with him. It’s better if we plan together. Make sure there’s no way this creep goes anywhere with him.” 

“How are we sure he’s even going to take the bait?” Boyd asked and Stiles shrugged. 

“I don’t know? I mean, usually, it would be all, ‘look at my magic scent’ or whatever, but, this guy is human, we think, so, I guess I’ll have to charm him or something? I guess it helps that I’m obviously his type.” Stiles said modestly. 

“I’m sure we can find something nice for you to wear.” Lydia smiled devishly and Stiles rolled his eyes, he wasn’t sure he was going to like whatever Lydia chose for him to wear. 

“Alright, well, we’ve got plenty of man power, so we don’t need to go about it in the usual manner, we’ll keep two people on each of the doors at least. The rest of us are going to be in the club, we’ll get there before you, go to the bar, buy yourself a drink, wait, we’ll be there.” 

“Sounds good to me.” Stiles agreed.

“I don’t like this.” Derek muttered. 

“Well stay home then.” Stiles replied easily and Derek glared at him until Stiles relented, “Look, I get you’re worried, but, it’ll be fine, Dean and Sam have done this a thousand times, and, at least we don’t have to worry about this guy having super speed or strength or whatever.” He tried, hoping to reassure Derek.

“Yeah, but, you’re the one that’ll get hurt if it goes wrong.” Derek replied and Stiles tried not to smile at the fact that Derek was obviously worried about him, it was kind of adorable. He shook his head, clearing that thought from his mind, he would not start stinking the room out with arousal, that would just be super embarrassing. 

“It won’t go wrong, and, besides, I can look after myself. Just, have a little faith?” He tried and Derek still looked unhappy but he nodded and Stiles counted that as a win. 

They scouted the club out the next day while the others were at college or work, Noah came along with Sam, Dean and Stiles, being sure to point out all the possible exits, Stiles was kind of nervous, mainly because they were pinning all their hopes on him, if this guy was something supernatural then Stiles had no issues, knowing that his scent would lure the guy in easily, but, if Stiles had to rely on his actual charm, if he had to somehow seduce this guy, well, he didn’t have nearly as much faith in himself in that respect.

There were three different exits apart from the main entrance and by the time they arrived home in the late afternoon they had a plan in place, Stiles felt a little sick, sure, he’d played bait before, but, it had been a hunt and he’d always had some kind of weapon. The jeans that Lydia had told him to wear left no room to hide any knives or guns which Stiles complained about, loudly and repeatedly through the bathroom door until Dean reassured him that they’d be right there, he didn’t need any weapons, they had his back, he’d be fine. 

Stiles stared at himself in the bathroom mirror once he’d got dressed, he was looking paler than usual, probably because he was nervous, and the dark blood red shirt he was wearing made his moles stand out boldly, the black jeans clung tightly to his ass and thighs, such a change from his usual style. His eyes looked wide and nervous and he took a few minutes to compose himself, he could do this, it was just another hunt, he would be fine. 

“Go over the plan again.” Dean said through the locked door and Stiles rolled his eyes, throwing on the jacket that Lydia had picked out and opening the door. 

“Go to the bar, wait for this guy to hit on me, lure him out of there as soon as possible, dad arrests him. Simple.” Stiles replied and Dean nodded tightly, following him down the stairs and into the living room. “You guys ready to go?” Stiles asked, grabbing his wallet and sliding it into his pocket before turning to look at everyone, noticing a few odd looks in his direction, “What?” He asked nervously. 

“Nothing.” Lydia replied easily, a brilliant smile on her lips as she approached him and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, “You look gorgeous. You’re going to knock him dead.” She smiled. Derek was struggling to control his wolf, he wanted to make a claim on Stiles so badly, wanted to kiss him and hold him and taste him, he had no idea how he was going to survive the night, even the thought of seeing Stiles with anybody else was making his wolf howl for control. He dug his claws into the palms of his hands, reminding himself of his humanity, and concentrated on trying not to stink the room out with his arousal, judging from the looks on the rest of the packs faces, he failed miserably.

“Yeah, let’s hope it doesn’t end up the other way around, if he takes the bait.” Stiles joked and Sam shook his head in bemusement.

“He’ll take the bait Stiles. He’d have to be blind not to.” Erica added and Stiles nodded tightly, still not really believing her words. 

“Yep. Sure. Anyway, you ready?” He asked again, wanting to get this over and done with. They headed out in several vehicles, Stiles leaving last in his jeep, giving everyone else a five-minute head start, making sure they got into position before he arrived, he felt exposed and vulnerable in a way that he hadn’t done in so long, he didn’t have any weapons other than his bat in the backseat of the jeep, and his clothes were tight enough that there was no way he could hide anything under them. He pulled up to a stop outside the club, seeing a line already out of the door, he took a steadying breath, clenching his shaking hands into fists and inhaling slowly before letting his breath out again. 

He took a quick look in the mirror, running a hand through his hair that was sticking up in all directions and glaring at himself in the mirror.

“You’ve got this. Stop being a baby.” He muttered in determination before he took off his jacket, slid out of the jeep, locked it, and headed across the street towards the club. He could see some of the pack still standing waiting to get in, split into smaller groups so as to not attract attention, Stiles walked past the main entrance, his intention to go to the back of the queue and wait his turn, when a hand grabbed him by the elbow and he turned to see one of the bouncers from the door raising an eyebrow at him.

“You coming in here?” The bouncer asked. 

“Um, yeah, I was planning on it?” Stiles replied nervously, knowing his fake ID should work but suddenly panicking that he’d already fucked this whole thing up before he’d even got through the door. 

“My shift ends in a couple of hours, maybe I can buy you a drink?” The bouncer offered, opening the door and directing Stiles inside.

“Erm, yeah, um, yeah that would be, that would be good.” He replied uncertainly, a blush on his cheeks, the unexpected attention catching him by surprise. He entered the club and took a moment to adjust to his surroundings, the music was blasting loudly from the speakers, the dance floor was heaving with bodies, he walked down the stairs, turning left towards the bar, glad when he saw Sam and Dean sat at a table not too far from the bar along with Scott and Ethan. 

“What can I get you?” The bartender shouted in greeting. 

“Whiskey on the rocks.” He replied, needing a little something to settle his nerves slightly. He felt like somebody was watching him, like eyes were burning into the back of his head, he turned around as casually as possible, leaning his elbows against the bar and taking a sip of his drink as he surveyed his surroundings, trying to figure out where the sense of someone watching him was coming from, until, his eyes settled on Derek. 

Derek was sat in a booth in one of the back corners, his arms resting across the back of the booth, Erica and Boyd sat opposite him, he had a drink on the table in front of him, but his eyes were firmly fixed on Stiles, and Stiles knew he wasn’t imagining it when he saw they were tinted a glowing red, he swallowed, praying that the music would hopefully cover the sound of his racing heart. He turned again, hoping that nobody would notice the blush on his cheeks, because, Jesus Christ, he was so attracted to Derek it was ridiculous and seeing the Alpha obviously protective of Stiles, it was such a turn on it was idiotic. He was not here to get turned on by Derek, he had a job to do and he was going to do it. 

He downed the rest of his drink, before swapping to soft drinks, knowing he needed his wits about him, ordering a fresh drink before moving to the dancefloor. The tightly packed bodies would make it harder for the pack to see him, but, there would be more chance of hopefully bumping into their target than waiting at the bar. He could see Jackson, Isaac and Allison dancing nearby, but he did his best not to pay them any attention, he was here to lure this guy out, nothing else. He felt like a bit of an idiot, not sure what to do now, until somebody was wrapping hands around his waist and pulling them close to him. 

“Hey, I haven’t seen you here before?” The man shouted into Stiles’ ear, leaning closer so that the whole length of his body was pressed against Stiles’.

“First time.” Stiles replied casually, following the guys lead and swinging his hips in time to the music. 

“Well I’m sure I can keep you entertained.” The man smiled easily, his hands moving to Stiles’ ass. 

“Um, maybe.” Stiles answered, suddenly realising that this was going to be a lot harder than he had planned, at least with a supernatural creature he knew they would go after him, right now he had no idea if this was the guy that had been kidnapping people or someone else entirely. He danced with him for a few minutes, but, Stiles wasn’t getting any kind of bad vibes of him, so, he made a gut decision that he wasn’t the guy they were after when the guy started trying to stick his tongue down Stiles’ throat, glad when someone bumped into them as he could make his escape, shooting Isaac a grateful grin as the werewolf danced like a lunatic and kept Stiles and the mystery man apart long enough for Stiles to finish his drink and head back to the bar. 

“Can I get you a drink?” Someone offered as soon as Stiles leaned forwards to try and attract the bartender’s attention, Stiles turned to look at the man, he was tall, but his hair was a bright blue and Stiles doubted that this was the guy. 

“I’m guessing that’s not your natural hair colour?” He blurted out and the guy laughed easily, moving closer to Stiles with a grin on his lips. 

“Is that your way of saying you want to see what colour my other hair is?” The man smirked and Stiles took a moment to process his words before he blushed brightly. 

“Sorry! No! God, no! I was just, um, curious what colour your hair is, not, like, no, sorry, that came across really badly.” Stiles said, blushing furiously and feeling like a complete idiot, how the fuck was he supposed to be able to seduce this mystery kidnapper when he couldn’t even get a decent sentence out!? 

“I don’t know, I kind of like it. It’s very innocent.” The man replied, “Adam by the way.” He said, holding out his hand in greeting. 

“Stiles.” Stiles responded, shaking his hand. 

“Stiles? Weird name.” Adam commented and Stiles shrugged. 

“I swear I’m not as weird as that name makes me sound.” Stiles said and Adam laughed. 

“Fair enough, well, Stiles, if you want, we could go to the bathroom and you could get up close and personal with my natural hair colour?” Adam offered and Stiles stared at him in shock for a moment before taking a step backwards out of his reach. 

“Dude, did you seriously just ask me to go to the bathroom and give you a blowie? Yeah, that’s not happening. Ever.” Stiles responded in disgust, walking away from Adam and going to the other side of the bar to get a drink, this was fucking humiliating. Not only was he not attracting the attention of the kidnapper, he was failing miserably on attracting anyone who wasn’t after sex too.

“You holding up okay so far?” Peter whispered quietly from the seat next to where Stiles had stopped and Stiles nodded briefly, aware that he didn’t want the kidnapper to know he was here with anyone. “You’re doing great.”

“Sure, feels that way.” Stiles muttered sarcastically before taking his drink and moving back to the dancefloor. 

He’d been there for what felt like hours when he bumped into Danny. He was hot and sweaty and was fed up of people touching him, fed up of people trying to kiss him, or even, on a few occasions, people trying to give him hickeys. He was beginning to give up hope that the guy was even here, or, if he was, that Stiles just wasn’t piquing his interest enough. 

“Stilinski!” Danny called sounding slightly drunk and Stiles turned around in the mass of people, looking at Danny in surprise.

“Danny! Hey!” Stiles said in greeting, laughing when Danny pulled him into a hug.

“Jackson told me you were home but he failed to mention how fucking hot you’ve gotten!” Danny shouted and Stiles laughed, rubbing a hand across his neck in embarrassment. 

“Thanks, I thought you were off at college? You home for winter break?” 

“Yeah man, just back for a couple of weeks, god, Stiles, you look awesome, want to go make out in my car?” Danny offered and Stiles laughed, breaking away from the hug to shake his head in bemusement, “No, I’m serious.” Danny said, his words slurring just the slightest bit, “Come on Stiles, let’s go have some fun, I bet you’ve never fooled around in a car like mine before.” 

“Danny, I think you’ve probably had too much to drink.” Stiles said lightly, caught off guard when Danny moved forwards and pressed his mouth to Stiles’, Stiles pushed him away instantly, feeling a bit grossed out, and looked around, “Hey, I thought I saw Jackson here earlier, maybe you should go find him, see if maybe him and Lydia can give you a lift home?”

“Sorry, sorry, I shouldn’t have…” Danny stammered, looking equal parts drunk and mortified by his earlier actions. 

“Don’t worry about it, it’s no big deal, let’s go find Jackson, he can take you home.” Stiles insisted, glad when Jackson and Lydia appeared out of the crowd, obviously able to overhear Danny and Stiles’ conversation. “Oh look, he’s here.” Stiles waved to Jackson. “You can take Danny home, can’t you?” 

“Yeah.” Jackson replied but he looked pissed off and Lydia leaned close to Stiles to explain.

“Derek’s not happy. He doesn’t want any of us leaving. We’re here to protect you. Not get Danny home because he’s had too much to drink.” Lydia muttered.

“I’ll be fine.” Stiles said, “Besides, even without you, there’s like, thirteen other people here, I’m okay, go, take him home.” 

“I don’t like it.” Lydia argued. 

“Tough. Go home.” Stiles said and Lydia pouted before turning on her heel and grabbing Danny’s arm, perhaps a little too harshly. Jackson shot Stiles a look that clearly said to be careful before he headed off after Lydia and Danny. 

Stiles let out a sigh, moving out of the crowd of people, shoving away the hands that groped at him and making his way back to the bar, he’d barely had a chance to order a drink when he felt a hot body press against his back. 

“You smell delectable.” A husky voice whispered in his ear and Stiles rolled his eyes at the line before forcing a smile onto his lips.

“I taste even better.” He replied evenly, hoping it was seductive rather than annoyed as he turned around and met the gaze of the man behind him, “Oh.” His mouth dropped open in shock, not because the man behind him was gorgeous, although he was, but it was the silver shimmering in his eyes that stilled Stiles in his tracks, because he knew that look, and, he’d already fucked up, he should have never looked him in the eyes. His mind began to race, incubi tended to keep their victims alive for weeks or sometimes months, feeding off their sexual pleasure, it meant that if this one was responsible for the three missing men then there was still a chance they were alive, and, if he killed this thing right now, he’d probably never find them. He knew the pack would be pissed, but, it gave him very few options, and, the first had to be to not fight the spell he was under, to go with it, to let the incubus have complete control over him until he knew if the others were alive, then he could break the spell.

“You are gorgeous.” The man whispered, his breath brushing Stiles’ ear and sending a shiver of desire through him that Stiles felt repulsed by, he wasn’t fighting the spell as hard as he could, knowing he needed to stay under its influence until he found the other victims, he stood still, allowing the man to run a finger up his arm until he was cupping his jaw, he couldn’t move, couldn’t fight, and, he didn’t want to, he would do whatever this man wanted, whatever he asked of Stiles. 

“Thanks.” Stiles replied dully as the man leaned even closer, his lips brushing against Stiles’ earlobe and his heated breath blowing across Stiles’ neck.

“You are going to go to the bathroom, climb out the window and wait for me, I’m going to leave through the front door, you’re going to give your little pack of wolves the slip and you’re not going to let them know that anything is wrong, okay?” 

“Yeah.” Stiles agreed. 

“Good boy.” The man muttered, pulling away slightly, just enough to brush his lips against Stiles’, a soft kiss that turned into something deeper, Stiles standing pliantly and allowing the kiss to deepen until he felt light headed from lack of oxygen, and only at that point did the man pull away. “Thanks for the kiss gorgeous.” He said loudly, loud enough that the pack would be able to hear before he turned on his heel and left the club through the main entrance. 

Stiles shook his head, as if clearing his thoughts, before he downed what was left of his drink and headed towards the bathroom, nodding to Dean that everything was fine. He locked the door of the stall behind him, climbing instantly up to the window and sliding through it, before standing still and waiting for the man to appear as he had ordered. 

Derek was so fucking jealous it was ridiculous, he hadn’t been able to take his eyes off Stiles since the moment he’d walked into the club, partially because he was afraid of something happening and him missing it, but mainly because Stiles was gorgeous, he was so beautiful it almost hurt and Derek wasn’t surprised by the amount of people that were hitting on Stiles, but, it did make him extremely jealous. 

Thankfully, Stiles wasn’t doing much more than dancing with different people, and, although they were more than happy to get up close and personal, Stiles managed to keep them at a reasonable distance most of the time, there were a few kisses that were definitely one sided and a few gropes that were even more so. By the time the end of the night was drawing near Derek was getting more and more frustrated, on the one hand he wanted this to be over, wanted this bastard caught and everyone safe, but, he also hated seeing Stiles with other people, he was jealous, he knew that, he knew he just needed to keep control of himself, but, it was hard. Especially when a guy approached Stiles, barely spoke to him before he was kissing Stiles, and, it was a real kiss, not just a drunken peck of the lips like Danny, but, a deep, hard kiss, his arms around Stiles’ waist, pulling him closer, whispering in his ear, giving him a smile and thanking him for the kiss before he turned and walked away while Stiles stood there with a look of shock on his face, Derek wanted to go to him, wanted to kiss that look off his face, make him forget all about whoever that guy was, instead Stiles disappeared off to the toilet and Derek gritted his teeth and tried to control his jealously.

He began to get agitated when Stiles was still in the bathroom after five minutes, he growled in frustration, ignoring the look of annoyance on Dean’s face and barged into the bathroom, not caring if they blew the plan, just needing to know that Stiles was in there, that he was safe. He opened the first door and found the stall empty, continuing along the line until he found one that was locked, he broke open the lock and cursed when he saw the open window behind the cubicle. He raced back out into the club, everyone noticing the panic radiating off him and moving towards him in a rush, practically knocking people out of the way. 

“He’s gone.” Derek grunted out, his eyes flashing red dangerously, as he moved towards the exit, the pack following after him. “Call Jackson and Lydia, get them back here, we need everyone looking for him, now.” Derek snarled as Aiden pulled out his phone and called Jackson.

“Stiles is gone.” Aiden explained as soon as the call connected. 

“Gone!? What do you mean he’s gone? He was never supposed to be able to leave the club!” Lydia shouted. 

“What’s going on?” Danny slurred drunkenly from the back seat as the car changed directions, heading back the way they had come. 

“How the hell did you lose him!?” Jackson screamed, hitting the steering wheel in annoyance. 

“It looks like he climbed out of the bathroom window.” Aiden explained. 

“Climbed out!? Why the hell would he climb out!?” Lydia exclaimed. 

“We don’t know.” Aiden replied. They had raced out of the club, running around to the back of the club and finding Stiles’ scent outside the window, along with the scent of somebody else as well. Derek ignored the pack behind him, following Stiles’ scent with an urgency he’d never felt before, he couldn’t lose Stiles, not now. He followed the scent around the far side of the club, annoyed when it led him back around towards the front where they’d all parked their cars. He looked ahead, freezing when he saw two figures up ahead, and then surging forwards.

“Stiles!” Derek called out in relief, the man from the club had an arm around Stiles’ waist and was leading him towards the jeep, Stiles hadn’t even turned around at the shout but Derek knew it was him, without any shadow of a doubt. “Stiles!” He called again, racing forwards and coming to a stop a few feet away from Stiles when the man turned around, turning Stiles with him. Stiles’ expression was odd, there was no warmth in his eyes, more than that, it was like, it was vacant, there was no recognition there, it was like Stiles wasn’t even aware that they were there. 

“Can we help you?” The man said sweetly, although Derek could feel the irritation rolling off him, and Derek felt his stomach drop, there was something really wrong about this man, he just didn’t know what. 

“Son of a bitch!” Dean cursed, pulling his gun and pointing it at the man, the entire pack tensing at this action. 

“What!?” Noah growled. 

“Incubus.” Dean explained and the man smirked. 

“Hunter.” He replied in greeting, pulling Stiles a little closer so that he was blocking Dean’s shot. 

“Break the spell.” Dean snapped. 

“What spell?” Derek said, not tearing his gaze from Stiles. 

“Stiles looked him in the eyes.” Sam said in dawning comprehension. 

“Exactly. Now he’s mine.” The man smirked, emphasizing his hold over Stiles when he kissed Stiles’ neck and Stiles showed no response, although Derek got the smallest scent of disgust from Stiles.

“Get away from him.” Derek snarled angrily.

“What’s wrong Alpha? Don’t like someone else touching your property?” He remarked and Derek growled menacingly. 

“Let go of him.” He repeated, his claws coming out and his eyes flashing red dangerously just as Jackson’s car screeched to a stop behind the jeep, Jackson and Lydia jumping out while Danny sat in the back seat, staring at the others in shock, rubbing at his eyes, no doubt thinking he was imagining things, until he eventually stumbled out of the car and stared at the scene in front of him.

“What’s happening?” He asked, taking in the claws and fangs that were spouting from several of his previous classmates along with the blank look on Stiles’ face and the hint of silver in the man’s eyes who was pressed close to him. 

“You don’t want them to hurt me, do you?” The man whispered and Stiles shook his head slightly. “Good boy, we’re going to get in your car now and we’re going to leave, and, if they try to follow you, you’re going to kill them, understand?” He muttered into Stiles’ ear and Stiles nodded in agreement. 

“Cas!” Dean shouted and the man looked at him in confusion. 

“What? What is Cas?” 

“He’s an angel of the lord.” Stiles said dully and the incubus looked around gleefully. 

“Oh, please, please call your angel. I’ll have fun fucking him too, once I’m done with your little witch here.” He said, reaching around to run a hand down Stiles’ chest towards his crotch, “He smells delicious by the way, but, I’m sure you know that already, don’t you? I’m going to take my time with him, going to make it so enjoyable for him, he’s going to beg me to fuck him, aren’t you?” He taunted and Stiles nodded blankly. 

“You’re not going to lay a fucking finger on him.” Sam snarled, his gun levelled at the incubus’ head, grimacing when the man turned Stiles’ head with his fingertip, blocking Sam’s shot and pressing his lips against Stiles’, tilting his chin slightly to deepen the kiss, smirking at the pack the entire time before he broke the kiss and grinned. 

“Look at that, I guess I just did.” He laughed.

“Cas! Get your ass here now!” Dean shouted desperately. 

“Yes, please, I can’t wait for another being to satisfy my desires, once I’m done with him of course. But, for now, we’re leaving, aren’t we?” 

“Yes.” Stiles echoed.

“No.” Cas commented, appearing out of thin air and looking at Dean to check he was okay before turning his gaze to Stiles. “You’re going to let go of him or I’ll disintegrate you.” He threatened.

“What the hell is happening!? Am I hallucinating!?” Danny remarked, looking like he was on the verge of a panic attack.

“We’ll explain later.” Lydia said dismissively, Stiles was the priority right now, he was the one in danger.

“You hurt me and you’ll never find the missing men. Plus,” He smirked, leaning close to Stiles’ ear, “Anything happens to me, I get hurt, and you will cut your heart out.” He whispered and Stiles nodded in agreement, “I’d like to see you break that compulsion.” He grinned. 

“Stiles is a mage, he’ll break your compulsion the moment you are dead.” Cas said confidently. 

“A mage huh? Haven’t heard of one of those in a while.” The incubus commented before shrugging, “It makes no difference, he’s going to do as I ask, he’s mine. Are you really willing to risk his life? And the life of the others you are looking for?” Noah looked at the others uncertainly, wanting one of them to tell him it was all going to be okay, wanting his son to fight whatever spell he was under and break free. 

“Stiles, please, son, you’ve got to fight this.” Noah whispered, he thought he saw a flicker of recognition in his son’s eyes but it faded again instantly. 

“He can’t fight this, can you? Tell them. Tell them that you’re mine. That you’ll do whatever I ask. Whatever I want. That you want to please me. That you want to leave with me.” The incubus said and Stiles nodded. 

“I’m yours. I want you. I want to be with you.” Stiles repeated tonelessly but Derek heard the skip of his heartbeat, he was lying. Stiles was lying. He knew the others picked up on it too, but, he wasn’t sure what it meant, why the hell was Stiles lying? He looked at him, looked Stiles in the eyes, “I want to leave with you.” Stiles said, his eyes flashing red for the briefest second as he looked Derek in the eyes and Derek felt his breath rush out, what the hell was going on?

“You don’t. Stiles, you’re under his spell. Fight it.” Dean argued. 

“I don’t want to.” Stiles replied calmly. 

“You’re not leaving with him!” Noah shouted and Stiles’ eyes flashed red, all of them freezing in place. 

“What the fuck is happening!?” Danny panted when he found he couldn’t even move, he couldn’t move, Stiles’ eyes were glowing bright red and every person in the vicinity was frozen in place. 

“Oh, you are such a good boy.” The incubus gloated, turning Stiles around to kiss him again, his hand running up Stiles’ neck, tilting up his chin and pushing his tongue into Stiles’ mouth, Derek was growling in rage, he was so angry, he wanted to rip this thing apart, he would tear him apart, he just needed Stiles to stop whatever he was doing, release them from this spell and then they could help him. “Come on then gorgeous, let’s go have some fun.” He grinned, taking Stiles’ hand and leading him towards the jeep. “How long can you keep them there?” 

“As long as you want.” Stiles replied. 

“Really? And can you stop them tracking us?” 

“Yes.” Stiles said simply. 

“Fantastic. Let’s get going then.” He said, giving Stiles another kiss before climbing into the jeep and Stiles climbed after him. 

“Stop! Stiles! Please! Stop!” Derek shouted in despair, not knowing what to do to stop them, to save Stiles, to stop this from happening. He thought he saw Stiles’ eyes flick to his for the briefest moment before Stiles started the jeep and drove away, ignoring the howls of fear and panic that the pack let out.


	14. Chapter 14

Stiles knew that the pack were scared, he was scared, he felt sick at that thing touching him, kissing him, it made him want to puke, but, if he had any chance of rescuing the missing men, he had to do what the incubus wanted, it was their only hope. He couldn’t fight off the compulsion, not yet, not until he had found them, no matter how much it was hurting the pack right now, he drove for five minutes, dropping the spell that held the pack in place, knowing that they could start tracking him now, that they would only be a few minutes behind them, that Stiles only had to buy himself a few minutes once they got to the incubus’ lair, wherever that may be.

He followed the directions given to him, eventually pulling into the drive of a house, a high wall surrounding them, fencing them away from the outside world, Stiles’ jeep hidden from view by the brick wall, the gates clanging shut behind them with a finality that made Stiles’ heart thud unsteadily. 

“Come on sweet little thing, we’ll go inside, get you comfortable, then we can have some fun.” The man said, running a hand up Stiles’ arm, cupping his jaw softly and pulling him in for another kiss. Stiles went along with it, not fighting the spell, until he knew the others were here, he couldn’t ruin it, not yet, not until he was certain. 

He followed the incubus into the house, followed him up the stairs, past five bedrooms with an iron gate across the doorway instead of the usual door, Stiles couldn’t see the other men, but, he couldn’t see the majority of the bedrooms, so, he hoped they were just out of sight. 

“This way my sweet one.” The incubus said, leading Stiles towards one of the bedrooms, Stiles followed meekly behind him, feeling queasier by the second, “It’s okay, I’m going to take good care of you, you’re going to be so good for me, such a good boy, sweet boy.” The man cooed, kissing Stiles softly, sweetly, moving him back towards the bed, Stiles wasn’t going to be able to do this, he wasn’t going to be able to allow this thing to touch him just on the off chance that the three missing men weren’t here. 

The back of his knees bumped into the bed and he fell backwards, landing on his back on the bed, the incubus smirking slightly as he climbed on top of him, wrapping his hands around Stiles’ wrists and pinning him to the bed, kissing his neck, sucking a mark into his skin, grinding their hips together and letting out a groan of pleasure. 

“It’s okay, we’ll take this nice and slow, we want this to last, I want to take my time with you, I’m going to bring you to your climax, I’m going to make you beg for me to let you cum, I can just imagine the feast I’m going to get from you when you cum for me, I’m going to be satisfied for weeks, I can almost taste the power rolling off you already, you’re going to be so good for me, so good.” He groaned, so caught up in his own excitement that he didn’t notice that Stiles wasn’t excited in the least. 

Derek listened to the sound of Stiles’ retreating jeep, stumbling slightly when the spell snapped and rushing instantly towards his own car, racing after the sound of the old engine, knowing if he lost track of it that he would never find Stiles in time. He blocked everything else out, ignoring the shouts of fear from Noah and Scott who had jumped into the back seat, blocked out the sound of the impala rumbling behind them, he had to focus on the jeep, focus on that sound, the only sound that mattered to him. 

When it cut out he could have sworn his heart stopped for a moment, he shifted, allowing his wolf senses to overtake him, narrowing his focus to Stiles, Stiles’ heartbeat, he had to hear his heartbeat, he had to know he was alive. He relaxed the instant he got a lock on Stiles’ heart, ignoring the way it was racing much too fast, he couldn’t think about why that was, he had to focus on getting to Stiles, on making sure he was safe. 

They pulled up outside a house, high walls and a heavy gate blocking their entrance, Derek could hear five heartbeats coming from inside the house and he growled, knowing that Stiles was trapped in there, trapped under that thing’s enchantment. 

“Derek, you need to stop or you’re going to hit…” Noah started, his voice trailing off when Derek floored the accelerator and smashed through the gate, coming to an abrupt stop on the other side, Derek was already out of the car and moving towards the house before Noah and Scott had completely recovered, even as the other cars came to a stop outside the walls and the pack flooded towards the house. 

“Stiles!” Derek called out, smashing open the front door and barging into the house, rushing towards the stairs, towards the sound of Stiles’ heartbeat. 

“Hello? Help us! God, help us!” A voice called out, followed by the sound of other voices, Derek staring in shock when he saw the bars that locked the bedroom doors, each of the missing victims locked in a bedroom, looking drained, but, otherwise, they were okay, alive. He turned towards the end of the hallway, the incubus was there, a hand wrapped across Stiles’ chest, pulling him close, it was obvious the man was annoyed, furious at the intrusion of his lair, but Derek was even more furious, Stiles had marks across his neck, where the incubus had marked him, it was enough to make Derek want to tear the thing apart. 

“Leave now, before I get him to kill you all.” The man snarled and Derek growled back at him, his eyes flashing dangerously. 

“I’m not going anywhere, now, let go of him, right now.” Derek growled, his teeth elongating. 

“I gave you a warning, but, if you won’t listen to me, you can’t blame me for what happens next.” The man smirked, “Sweet one, I want you to kill him, kill him now.” The incubus whispered in Stiles’ ear and Stiles’ eyes flashed red for a moment before he relaxed in the incubus’ arms, recognition flooding into his eyes as he gave Derek a brief grin.

“Yeah, I don’t really feel like doing that if I’m honest.” Stiles replied sarcastically, slamming his heel down on the man’s foot and elbowing him swiftly in the stomach, the incubus gasping in shock and releasing him. 

“How? What? How did you break the spell?” He spluttered and Stiles shook his head in bemusement. 

“Please, that was one weak ass spell, I only didn’t fight it because I knew there was a chance you’d kept them alive, it was the only way to find them.” Stiles shrugged. 

“Are you fucking kidding me!?” Dean shouted and Stiles rolled his eyes, “Don’t you roll your eyes at me young man! You purposefully let him spell you just on the off chance of finding them!?” 

“Well, not exactly.” Stiles grimaced, knowing the pack were going to be pissed at him.

“Not exactly!? What the hell does that mean!?” Noah said through gritted teeth. 

“It means, I didn’t let him spell me, I just didn’t break it when I could have done?” Stiles said sheepishly. 

“You…we will deal with this later.” Noah snarled and Stiles knew he was in trouble, but, he couldn’t find it in himself to feel bad about that, they’d found the missing men, they were alive, that was what mattered, that was all that mattered. 

“Fine.” Stiles agreed. 

“What about him?” Scott said looking at the incubus. 

“You mean the sex demon that kidnapped and raped three young men and attempted it with a fourth?” Dean hissed angrily and the incubus actually whimpered in fear.

“Please, please, you don’t have to kill me, I never hurt them, I made it good for them, they enjoyed it…” He started to explain, his words cutting off when Cas waved his hand and the incubus exploded before vanishing into nothing, the others turning to stare at him in surprise.

“I have a strong dislike for that thing.” Cas said and Stiles laughed brightly. 

“Not the only one buddy.” He said, moving to the nearest gate and using his magic to open the lock, releasing the man inside who could only stare at Stiles in amazement. 

“Thank you, thank you.” He muttered repeatedly, clasping a hand to Stiles’ shoulder and then embracing him in thanks before he practically ran out of the door downstairs, Stiles sure as hell wasn’t going to stop him, he moved on to the other rooms, releasing all three of them and feeling so relieved that he’d been able to help them. 

“We need to have a long discussion about your actions tonight Stiles.” Noah grumbled as soon as they got back to the cars and Stiles nodded.

“Sure thing, just, I need a shower and I need to sleep and then you can talk all you want.” Stiles replied and Noah gritted his teeth, not wanting to yell at his son when it was obvious he was exhausted.

“Fine.” Noah said, before pulling Stiles into a hug, “I’m glad you’re okay kid.” 

“Me too.” Stiles muttered quietly before moving down the steps outside, Stiles stared at Derek’s car, at the damage done to it from crashing through the gate, he hadn’t expected the Alpha to crash his car through the gate, he felt kind of guilty at that, but, at least it looked like it was still drivable. Aiden and Isaac slid into the jeep when Stiles decided he was going to drive home and spend an hour in the shower, each of them giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder before sitting in silence as they drove back to the bunker. Stiles knew he was in shock, knew it from the way his fingers trembled slightly and the hollowness he felt when he knew his emotions should be all over the place, he knew he probably shouldn’t be driving, but, right now, it was the only thing that seemed to offer any stability for him.

He ditched the jeep in the garage, getting out and walking up the stairs towards the shower, his only thought was getting clean, washing the scent of all those strangers off him, he heard the other cars pulling up and stopping, heard the quiet rumble of voices downstairs before he locked the bathroom door, stripped off and stood under the stream of hot water. 

He wasn’t sure how long he actually stayed in the shower, scrubbing at his skin until it was raw red in places, doing his best to fight off an oncoming panic attack, telling himself that he was safe, that it was over, the incubus was dead and he was fine. But his mind kept running through all the what if’s, what if Stiles hadn’t been able to break the spell? What if the pack had arrived too late? What if he hadn’t dropped the spell in time and they hadn’t been able to track him? What if the incubus had taken him elsewhere? There were so many possibilities, he’d ignored them at the time, knowing his priority had to be trying to find the missing men, but, now that it was over, now that he was safe, everything that could have happened was racing through his mind and Stiles felt sick. He could still imagine his hands on him, his weight pressing Stiles down into the bed, hot lips pressed against his own and a tongue being forced into his mouth. 

His stomach rolled and he threw up, sliding down the wall of the shower as tears streamed down his face, Fang was there an instant later, the wolf disappearing from his skin and reappearing in the shower, surrounding Stiles, protecting him, allowing Stiles to bury his head in his wet fur and sob until he managed to regain control again, swiping viciously at the tears on his cheeks before he turned the shower off and got dried and dressed, Fang shook his fur off except he was still dripping all over the floor so Stiles rubbed him with a towel, doing his best to dry the wolf off while he did his best to climb all over Stiles. By the time he was done he needed a fresh pair of dry clothes, but, at least he didn’t feel quite so shit, instead there was a small smile on his lips.

He changed into a pair of joggers and a hoodie that was a little too big but incredibly comfortable and padded back down the stairs, ready to face the music, Fang at his side. The pack were all gathered around the island in the middle of the kitchen, muttering amongst themselves and then going silent as soon as Stiles stepped into the doorway, all of them turning to look at him with varying looks of sympathy and annoyance. 

“Hi.” He muttered awkwardly, resting his hand on the back of Fang’s neck and allowing the feel of his fur under his fingertips to calm him. 

“You okay?” Dean asked, leaning against the counter behind him and studying Stiles. Stiles nodded uncertainly, he wasn’t sure why nobody had started shouting at him yet, he figured they’d all heard him throw up, or, well, the wolves had and they’d told the others, and that was why nobody had yelled yet, he couldn’t help but feel embarrassment at that but did his best to mask the emotion, not wanting the wolves to smell it. 

“Stiles, what you did tonight was stupid.” Peter said calmly, “It was brave, and we understand that you were doing what was necessary in order to find the missing men, but, it was still stupid, you should have told us your plan.” It was obvious that Peter had been chosen to speak to Stiles because he was the only one that looked even remotely calm, the rest looked agitated and upset and annoyed and Stiles felt guilt flood through him, he’d caused that. 

“Okay.” He nodded in reply and Sam pursed his lips looking frustrated. 

“Okay!? Really!? That’s all you’ve got to say!?” Sam fumed and Stiles shrugged.

“What do you want me to say?” He asked quietly, feeling worse the longer he was stood here. 

“What do I want you…” Sam sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair in exasperation, “I want you to say that you’re never going to do something so stupid again! He could have killed you Stiles! Or worse! And you, you were fucking leaving with him, if Derek hadn’t checked the toilets we wouldn’t have known you were gone, he could have had you for hours or days or weeks and there was nothing we could have done about it!” Sam shouted angrily. 

“I’m sorry.” Stiles replied, staring at the floor, doing his best to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill down his cheeks again, Fang whined quietly at his side and Stiles scratched behind his ears, telling him silently that it was fine, he deserved this, he had done something stupid, he had worried all of them for no reason, they were annoyed at him and they had every right to be.

“You honestly think that covers it!?” Sam said.

“Sam, we agreed we’d be calm about this.” Lydia chastised. 

“Calm!? Are you kidding me? You’re supposed to know better by now Stiles! What was the point in us training you, in teaching you, if you haven’t learned anything? What was the point in us taking you in, looking after you, if you’re going to waste that? If you still put your life in danger for the most idiotic reasons!? Sometimes I think it would have been better if you’d never got your magic, it makes you reckless, it makes you think you’re indestructible and you’re not, Christ, we never should have helped you learn how to use it, we should have just brought you back to Beacon Hills the day we found you, saved ourselves a load of hassle.” Sam shouted in annoyance and Stiles felt like the floor had vanished from under him, like his heart was crumbling in his chest. 

“Sammy!” Dean admonished and Sam looked horrified, as if he couldn’t believe he’d just said all that, he wanted Stiles safe, he wanted him protected, and tonight they’d nearly lost him, again, Sam had seen Stiles standing in the kitchen doorway, looking guilty, unfaded hickey’s littering his neck and all he could think was that they’d let him down, that Stiles had been hurt, could have been raped, because they hadn’t looked out for him like they promised they would, and, worse, Stiles hadn’t explained his plan to them, hadn’t told them what was going on. He knew it was because he was terrified, it was the only reason he yelled like that, but, still, it didn’t excuse him. 

“I’m sorry…” He began but Stiles shook his head and when Sam took a step towards him Fang snarled protectively at him. 

“No, you shouldn’t be sorry. You’re right. I messed up. It was my fault. I’m sorry. Maybe it would have been better if I never got my magic.” Stiles sniffled quietly, not looking up from the floor before turning away from them and retreating up the stairs and into his bedroom, Fang padding after him and shooting the rest of them a look that dared them to follow after them, he would tear their throats out if they even though about it. 

“We agreed I would handle this.” Peter snapped at Sam who looked horrified at what he’d just done. 

“Yeah, well, you weren’t doing a great job, making out like it was fine for him to put himself in danger just because it was brave?” Dean said protectively. 

“That wasn’t what I was saying!” Peter argued before Derek growled quietly and everyone silenced. 

“We’re not arguing about this. It’s not going to help. Stiles knows what he did was stupid, but, his heart was in the right place. Yelling at him isn’t going to make him feel any better and it’s not making any of us feel any better either.” Derek said reasonably. 

“I was just…” Sam started. 

“I don’t care.” Derek sighed in defeat, “I get it. You care about him. You don’t like seeing him hurt. I get that. None of us want to see Stiles in danger. But you know what he’s like, we all do. He is reckless. He makes decisions in an instant without thinking about the consequences, but, his heart is always in the right place. We all know that too. Making him feel guilty, making him feel bad about what he did, it won’t change the fact he did it, and, more importantly, we all know that if Stiles was in that situation again, if we went back to the club tomorrow night and he was met with the exact same circumstances, even knowing how shit he feels about it right now, he would still do the same thing all over again, because he was trying to help people, save people. How can we be mad at him for that?” Derek reasoned and everyone stared at him in shock. 

“I should go apologise.” Sam began. 

“I think we all should.” Derek amended, “We all owe him an apology. Stiles asked us to have faith in him and we didn’t. He made a choice tonight, one that we don’t agree with, but, it was his choice to make, we need to start respecting his choices. Maybe we need to find a way to get him to change those choices from time to time,” Derek added when it looked like everyone was ready to argue, “But, at the end of the day, Stiles will make the choices that he decides he can live with, as the rest of us do all the time. I know there’s plenty of times where I’ve made decisions that you haven’t been happy with, and I know you’ve all done it at times too, but, we’ve always tried our best to understand where the other is coming from. Stiles accepts he did something stupid, he’s apologised, we need to apologise for making him feel even worse about it. It wasn’t a selfish decision, he didn’t do it because he thought it would increase his power, or he’d be a hero, or anything like that, he did it to save lives. It was a good reason to make a bad choice and we shouldn’t be annoyed at him for that.” 

“You’re right.” Dean said solemnly, leaning against Cas slightly before he pulled away and moved to the stairs, “So let’s apologise then.” 

Stiles managed to curl up into a small gap between his chest of drawers and his wall, Fang sitting on his feet and blocking Stiles away from the rest of the world, he was resting his head against Fang’s side, well, it was closer to his underbelly, Stiles had wrapped his arms around his chest, trying to fight back the panic attack that threatened to overwhelm him while Fang whined quietly and did his best to comfort Stiles, practically climbing on top of him in an attempt to help, it didn’t stop the tears from rolling down Stiles’ cheeks though, at the knowledge that Sam thought Stiles was more trouble than he was worth. He should have never done something so stupid, he should have broken the spell the moment it happened, he shouldn’t have stayed under its influence.

“Stiles?” Dean’s voice sounded from outside the door followed by a quiet knock and Stiles buried his face deeper into Fang’s fur in an attempt to silence his sobs, hoping the man would take the hint and leave him alone, instead the door cracked open and there was silence for a moment before Fang tensed above him, letting out a warning growl. 

“Stiles? You hiding under all that fur?” Allison whispered and Stiles nodded, knowing they couldn’t see it, “I’m going to take that as a yes.” She said, sounding a little sad, “Do you want to come out and talk to us? Or would you prefer to stay under there? It doesn’t look very comfortable?” 

“Fang’s very comfortable.” Stiles muttered defensively and Allison let out a small chuckle. 

“Fair enough. So, look, we came to apologise. We shouldn’t have reacted so badly and we’re sorry.” Allison explained. 

“I’m really sorry Stiles, I was just so worried, and scared and I shouted at you and I shouldn’t have done, I’m really, truly sorry.” Sam said seriously and Stiles sighed heavily, he didn’t want Sam feeling guilty, it wasn’t his fault, Stiles was the one who’d done something stupid as per usual. 

“It’s not your fault.” Stiles said, pulling away from Fang just enough that he could make eye contact with Sam who took a step forwards and then froze when Fang snarled at him. 

“You did the right thing Stiles, I might not agree with how you went about it, but, you did do the right thing. I’m proud of you. We all are.” Sam admitted and Stiles ducked his gaze back down to the floor, leaning back into Fang’s fur. 

“You shouldn’t be.” He muttered, “You were right. I don’t deserve my magic, I should never have got it in the first place, I always fuck things up, I should…” 

“No, no, Stiles, stop.” Sam said urgently, crouching so that he was level with what he could see of Stiles’ eyes, “That is not what I meant, not at all. I want you safe. I want you to stay alive. I want you to live long enough to settle down, grow old, have kids and grandkids and even great grandkids. I want you alive Stiles. That’s all. But you deserve your magic, of course you do. You’ve done fantastic things Stiles, not just with your magic, but, with everything, you’re one of the best, one of the strongest people I know, and, if anyone deserves that magic, it’s you. I was worried Stiles, I was worried and I was scared, but, that doesn’t excuse what I said and I’m sorry. I didn’t mean you don’t deserve your magic, you are the most deserving person I know and I’m happy you have it. I just, I wish you’d told us what you were planning so we could be prepared.” 

“I wasn’t planning it.” He whispered and everyone’s eyebrows arched up in confusion, he rubbed at his eyes, knowing he’d need to give them more of an explanation but not knowing where to start. “I was telling you the truth, I didn’t let him spell me, I didn’t even know it was an incubus causing all of this until I was already under the spell.” 

“Okay.” Dean nodded. “That makes sense. What happened then?” 

“I knew I could break the spell, but I didn’t.” Stiles muttered.

“Alright, and, why didn’t you?” Dean queried and Stiles clung tighter to Fang. 

“I knew incubi tend to keep their victims alive, drain them over a few weeks, and I knew if I broke the spell, he’d know, and we’d never find them, not in time anyway. Staying under the influence was the only chance we had of finding them.” Stiles explained.

“That makes sense.” Dean admitted, “And, I assume he ordered you not to let us know what was going on, so that’s why you climbed out of the window without telling us?” Stiles nodded. 

“Why didn’t you just break it and then pretend to still be under the spell? Then you could have told us what was going on and we could have planned together?” Scott asked. 

“I didn’t know how to fake it?” Stiles admitted, “I didn’t know what the spell would do to me, and, I wasn’t sure how I’d be able to fake it, I wasn’t sure if he’d know if I broke it or if it would be really obvious that I wasn’t under his influence under more.” 

“So, you thought if you broke free of the spell there was no way to be able to find the missing guys and the incubus would have known we were on to him?” Noah clarified and Stiles nodded again in confirmation.

“It was a difficult choice to make Stiles, but, I think it was the right one.” Castiel commented and Stiles looked at him in shock, he’d not expected Cas to agree with him, hell, he’d not expected anyone to agree with him.

“He’s right.” Derek added and Stiles was pretty sure he was imagining this whole thing, maybe he was dreaming, maybe he’d fallen asleep and this was all a weird-ass dream. “I’m serious Stiles.” Derek repeated when Stiles looked at him in an obvious state of shock, “You did the right thing, you saved them, even though it meant putting yourself in danger and that’s the only thing we’re annoyed at, the only reason we’ve acted the way we have, because we care about you and don’t want to see you hurt, not because we don’t see how important it was to try and save them. It wasn’t your fault that you got spelled in the first place, you didn’t make that choice, the choice you made after that, not to break the spell, to stay under his influence until you found the others, I’m not going to say it was a good idea, but, it was done with good intentions.” 

Stiles was lost for words, he didn’t even know how to respond to that, he stared at Derek for a solid minute before he blinked slowly and then nodded.

“Um, thanks.” He muttered uncertainly. 

“Are you ready to come out of there now then?” Ethan asked and Stiles studied Fang’s fur for a moment before nodding and pushing the wolf off him, climbing out of the small gap and grimacing slightly as his body had stiffened slightly. 

“I’m really glad you’re okay.” Scott said, moving forward and pulling Stiles into a hug. 

“Me too.” Stiles let out with a little chuckle, feeling suddenly exhausted, all he wanted to do was sleep for a week. 

“Me three.” Noah added, hugging Stiles and holding Scott in place, within seconds it had dissolved into a huge pack hug, Stiles’ emotions were all over the place, he was exhausted but he felt so loved, so safe that he wanted to burst into tears, he settled for clinging to his dad just a little tighter. 

They didn’t sleep in the pack room that night, instead they ended up piling into Stiles’ room, as many of them trying to pack into the bed as possible so that Stiles could barely breathe there were that many bodies surrounding him. He lay awake for a long time, thinking about how things had changed, how once upon a time, the thought of this many people in bed with him, this many hands touching him, would have freaked him out, he would have lay there terrified, too scared to sleep, too scared to close his eyes, but, now? Now he didn’t mind, now he reached out and ran his fingers through Scott’s hair, snuggled a little closer to Fang, careful not to kick Isaac in the face, and he was fine, he was okay, he trusted them all implicitly, knowing that none of them would ever cause him pain on purpose, he slipped into sleep with ease and a smile on his lips. 

The more time Stiles spent around Derek the more he realised he wasn’t just attracted to the man, he cared about him, he began to imagine a future with him, he loved the way Derek always checked all the pack were okay, reassuring himself more than them, he loved the way he smiled when he was proud of them, loved the way he flashed his eyes whenever somebody threatened those he cared about, he loved that Derek had a huge heart that he tried to hide with sarcasm or not talking at all, yeah, he cared about Derek, he thought maybe more than cared, he wanted to be with him. 

It didn’t help anything though, knowing that it wasn’t just an attraction to Derek physically, that didn’t help, he knew Derek couldn’t feel the same way about him, why would he? With everything he knew about Stiles, with everything that had happened, how could he ever want to be with Stiles? It was useless, knowing he wanted to be with Derek was useless, there was no way anything would ever come of it. 

They were sat at the kitchen table, it was early morning, Derek and Stiles were the only ones in there, both sipping at their coffee and picking at their breakfast, Derek kept shooting glances at Stiles who seemed to be too wrapped up with something in the book he was reading to notice. It was nice, quiet, peaceful, Stiles looked content and that made Derek almost glow with happiness, he wanted this moment to be dragged out, wanted to bask in this feeling for as long as he could. He knew it couldn’t last though, there were so many other people in the house the moment was bound to be broken sooner rather than later, as it was, it was Dean that stumbled into the kitchen, mumbling out a good morning while he poured himself a mug of coffee and sat down in one of the chairs at the table. 

Cas had been flitting in and out of the house on a semi-regular basis, spending some of his time here before the next angel crisis presented itself, Derek was surprised to notice the chemistry between Dean and Cas, he wondered how long they’d been in love with each other, and why neither of them said anything about it, but he didn’t feel like he could say anything about undeclared feelings, not when Stiles was sat right there, his nose buried in a book and Derek couldn’t think of anything other than how adorable he was and how much he loved him. 

Cas appeared just as Erica, Isaac, Aiden and Jackson had all wandered into the kitchen in search of breakfast, Stiles greeted him without even looking up from his book whereas Dean and Cas had an intense staring contest until Erica cleared her throat and Dean looked to her, blushing guiltily before excusing himself from the room, telling them all that he had to go grab a shower. 

Stiles waited until Dean had left to look at Cas with a raised eyebrow and Cas just stared at him in confusion, Stiles rolled his eyes, closed his book and headed up the stairs, Derek watched him leave wishing he could find the courage to tell Stiles just how much he cared about him. 

“So, what’s up Cas? Angels still trying to kill each other?” Derek sighed once Stiles had vanished from view. 

“Unfortunately, yes.” Cas replied solemnly. 

“And it’s not going well?” Erica asked and Cas shrugged. 

“As well as I can expect it to go. It’s quiet at the moment, I thought I’d come over and see Dean, and, um, Sam and Stiles, and, well the rest of you.” Cas explained, blushing slightly and Derek grinned, it was kind of obvious that the angel loved Dean just as much as Derek loved Stiles. 

“All I’m saying is that you should tell him how you feel.” Stiles said and Dean groaned, rolling his eyes, Stiles had been pestering him non-stop since the second he’d come out of the bathroom and it was really beginning to wind him up.

“I’ve told you no Stiles.” Dean replied, he couldn’t do that, couldn’t confess his feelings to Cas, it would be an idiotic move, he’d end up making a fool of himself and destroying the friendship he had with him. Sam grinned at Stiles from his doorway and Dean grimaced, great, now both of them were going to gang up on him. 

“What’s the worst that could happen Dean?” Sam advised, “It’s obvious he cares about you too. Just be brave. You’re good at that.” 

“No, forget it okay? It’s not going to happen. There’s nothing there other than friendship, okay?” 

“Coward.” Stiles muttered as he headed back down the stairs and Dean and Sam followed after him, Dean gritting his teeth and wishing the ground would just swallow him up already. By the time they arrived back downstairs the entire pack was gathered in the kitchen, Danny hovering close to Ethan and giving Stiles a sheepish grin. 

Danny had been introduced to the world of the supernatural in the worst possible way, but he’d adjusted to it incredibly quickly, he’d been mad at Jackson for at least two weeks, refusing to speak to him for keeping all this from him, but, he’d gotten over it eventually, and, once Danny started dating Ethan, which they all knew from day one was going to happen just from the looks they gave each other, he started staying at the bunker whenever he was home from college. Danny had apologised to Stiles repeatedly for the drunken kiss the night of the incubus and Stiles told him it was no big deal, that no doubt Stiles would find a way for Danny to repay him at some point in the future. 

“I think we might have a siren problem.” Sam said almost an hour later, Stiles looked up from his book in surprise and the rest of the pack stilled, all of them looking to Sam in shock. 

“What makes you think that?” Stiles asked and Sam handed him the paper. 

“Second victim drowned in a lake about twenty miles from here.” Sam explained, “Locals complaining of odd singing that’s started up recently, I figured we could go check it out?”

“Good news is that sirens can’t trick people that are in love or magic users, so, I guess, I go first?” Stiles suggested. 

“Yeah, Dean and I can stay in the treeline, be there if anything goes wrong, but, stay behind, let you deal with it.” Sam commented. 

“No way, I’m not staying behind.” Dean growled. 

“You go at the front then you’ll be in danger,” Stiles said, “You’ll be at risk of the siren song,” Stiles smirked wickedly, “Unless, you are in love?” He said and Dean glared at him. 

“I’m not staying behind.” Dean repeated. 

“So, you think you can resist the siren song then?” Stiles remarked and Dean blushed furiously before gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. 

“Fuck it.” He muttered, screwing up all his courage and turning around, pulling Cas into a kiss, Cas froze in surprise for a moment before he returned the kiss just as eagerly, his arms resting on Dean’s hips and pulling him closer. Stiles grinned, beaming with happiness, he knew this was the right thing, he knew Dean just needed the push to declare his feelings, he knew Cas felt the same way that Dean did, they just needed a reason to tell the other how they felt. Dean and Cas broke apart a moment later when Peter cleared his throat quietly, they stared at each other, as if trying to figure out if that had really just happened, both smiling almost slightly when it was obvious it had, Dean reaching out and taking Cas’ hand tentatively. 

“So, I guess that means you can come handle the siren with me then.” Stiles teased and Dean grinned, nodding despite the fact his eyes never left Cas’. “Cool, no time like the present, right?” Stiles said and Sam nodded. 

“Sure thing, let me grab some rope just in case she does drag you guys in and then we can go.”

“Woah, the three of you are not going to take on a siren by yourselves. We’ll come with you.” Isaac said. 

“Dude, if you’re not in love, there’s the chance you’ll be seduced by the sirens song, it’s maybe better if you sit this one out?” Stiles suggested. 

“I don’t think the three of you should go by yourselves…” Isaac muttered.

“It’s okay Isaac, we’ll go with him.” Scott said, glancing at Allison who nodded determinedly. 

“We will too.” Lydia and Jackson said. 

“And us.” Erica and Boyd added. 

“Why not?” Ethan said to Danny.

“Might as well count us in.” Noah said, raising his eyebrows at Melissa who nodded.

“We might as well make it a pack outing then really, there’s enough of us in love with somebody to be able to stop anybody who does fall under the sirens call.” Derek said and Stiles shrugged, trying not to feel panic at the thought of Derek getting lured in by the siren. He knew Derek could handle himself, knew Isaac, Peter, Aiden and Sam could as well, but, still, the thought of any of them being in danger, it didn’t sit well with him. 

“Okay, new plan, anyone who is in love can come with Dean and me to the lake, you’re still going to have ropes around your waists though just in case she somehow pulls you in, the rest of you, are going to stay in the treeline, at a safe distance, and you’ll wear earplugs and if you can still hear her singing then you tie yourself to the nearest tree, sound fair?” Stiles said.

“Fine with me.” Dean grinned and Stiles shook his head in amusement, Dean still hadn’t looked away from Cas, a look of pure adoration on his features.

“Chains would probably be better.” Peter said, “For those of us tied to the trees, not the ones near the water, obviously.” 

“Okay, chains it is.” Stiles replied, heading downstairs and beginning to load his jeep up with ropes and chains. 

“Have you got the dagger?” Dean called and Stiles nodded, showing him the bronze dagger stashed down the back of his jeans. “Alright lets get this show on the road.” 

The drive to the lake was quiet, Stiles had driven his jeep, following after Dean, Sam and Cas in the impala, Derek, Peter, Aiden and Isaac all piled into the jeep with him while the others followed in their own vehicles. Stiles was nervous, going out there was one thing, going out there with the people he cared most about being in danger, well, that was another thing altogether, still, he parked up, pulled the chains and ropes from the back of the jeep and handed them out to the surrounding members. 

“Stick to the plan, okay?” He said, looking each of them in the eye and making sure they nodded in agreement, they couldn’t let this go wrong. They walked through the woods in silence until Derek put a hand on Stiles’ arm and stilled him in his tracks. 

“I can hear singing.” He muttered. 

“At least we know we’re in the right place.” Stiles replied, glancing around and relieved to see that nobody seemed to be having an adverse reaction to the song just yet. They walked a little further, hesitating when they began to see the reflection of the water through the trees. “Alright, wait here.” He said, addressing those that had agreed to stay out of the way, the others tied ropes loosely around their waists, connecting them together to make sure none of them could be dragged into the water. 

“Everyone set?” Dean asked, glancing at Cas who sighed heavily but nodded.

“You know I could take this siren out in an instant?” 

“You’re conserving your power until you get your grace back, so, no disintegrating people.” Dean scolded. 

“Fine.” Cas grumbled unhappily and Dean pulled him into a quick kiss. 

“I love you.” 

“I love you too.” Cas said, smiling brightly and Stiles pretended to gag from next to them, grinning when Dean batted his shoulder. 

“Ready?” Dean said, glancing back at where Sam, Derek, Isaac, Aiden and Peter were waiting. Derek wished with everything he had that he was going with them, that he was keeping Stiles safe, but, that would mean admitting that he was in love with Stiles and the last thing he ever wanted to do was make Stiles feel uncomfortable, no, it was better that he didn’t know. He tried not to growl when Jackson chained him to the nearest tree, he didn’t need it, the song was having no effect on him, not that he could say that, although, it didn’t seem to be having any effect on any of the others either, so, unless they were all in love, maybe it wasn’t as powerful as they all thought it would be. 

“Okay, lets do this then.” Stiles said, looking like he was bracing himself, shooting Derek one last look before turning away and heading towards the lake. 

Whatever Stiles had been expecting, it hadn’t been for a woman to be sat on the small pier, singing to herself while she combed her long, blonde hair and looked out onto the water. He looked at Dean who shrugged before he cleared his throat. 

“Hey.” Stiles called and the woman turned to look at him, smirking slightly when she saw the ropes around their waists. 

“Cute.” She replied and Stiles scrunched his nose in confusion, “The ropes.” She clarified, “Although, you’re quite cute too.” 

“Um, thanks?” Stiles said uncertainly. 

“Look bitch, how about you stop drowning people and we won’t kill you?” Dean said and the woman laughed brightly, it sounded almost otherworldly and made the hairs on Stiles’ arms stand on end. 

“How amusing, and how exactly are you planning to kill me?” She smirked, taking a step towards them, her feet almost floating along the floor and Stiles felt a shiver run down his spine, there was something wrong about this. 

“We’re immune to your song, you can’t lure us in.” Ethan snarled, flashing his fangs and the woman laughed again, clearly she was amused and it sent a flood of fear through Stiles. 

“Which would definitely work, if I was a siren, but, I’m not.” She replied, throwing her hands outwards, blasting them all backwards for a second before pulling them forwards again so that they were all thrown into the lake, it felt like a weight was wrapped around their ankles, pulling them to the bottom of the lake. Stiles looked around, saw the others struggling just as much, swimming to their partners and trying to pull them towards the surface, but, nothing seemed to be working, they were going to drown down here, already the pack were starting to still, Lydia looked to be unconscious, as did his dad, Allison and Melissa, Stiles’ head already felt like it was going to explode, that he couldn’t hold his breath any longer, he was terrified, he couldn’t let them all die down here. Stiles gathered all the magic he could, felt it like a ball of heat in his chest and shoved it downwards, towards the bottom of the lake, hoping it would disrupt whatever was at play here.

“Stiles!” Derek called in terror, pulling at the chains that bound him in place, straining when they didn’t seem to loosen in the slightest, Peter, Aiden, Isaac and Sam calling out for the rest of the pack in fear, they’d vanished from sight under the water almost two minutes ago and as of yet none of them had reappeared. Derek pulled harder, feeling the chains begin to weaken, knowing he needed to do something, the woman was still stood on the pier, a hand out in front of her, palm facing the water and a wicked smile on her lips.

There was a sudden blast that made the surface of the lake bubble and light up almost red in colour before suddenly the pack were there, their heads breaking the surface, gasping and coughing for breath, clinging to each other as best they could. 

“Cas! Get them out of here!” Stiles shouted, still coughing for breath and already swimming back towards the pier.

“Wait!” Dean called, spluttering as he inhaled another mouthful of water and he lost his grip on Stiles’ jacket. Stiles slipped out of the rope around his waist easily enough, grabbing hold of the end of the pier and lifting himself up, swiping at the water running down his face and glaring at the woman in front of him. 

“That wasn’t nice.” He snarled, his eyes starting to glow red and for the first time the woman looked unnerved. 

“Somehow I doubt it’ll keep me up at night.” She retorted and threw her hand out again, attempting to throw Stiles back into the lake. 

Derek felt the chains snap and he surged forward, he could see Stiles standing on the pier with the woman, he was dripping wet, his eyes glowing red dangerously, the pack were all swimming to the edge of the lake, still trying to catch their breaths, checking they were all okay, Dean trying to get to his feet so he could help Stiles and falling against Cas. 

The woman raised a hand and Stiles stumbled back a step and Derek was terrified that if Stiles went in the water again they would never see him, he ran as fast as he could, slamming into her from behind where she hadn’t been looking and tumbling to the ground. 

Stiles sent out a blast of magic of his own just as Derek tackled the woman and he cursed as it missed his target, trying to find more magic to try again and freezing when the woman managed to scramble to her feet, a hand tight to Derek’s neck, gripping his throat so tightly he was already turning red, his toes only just scraping the floor. 

“Let him go.” Stiles snarled, his fingers sparking with magic and the woman smirked victoriously. 

“Whatever you say.” She said before sprouting a pair of wings from her back and taking off from the pier and flying into the sky, everyone stilled, all of them staring in shock as if unable to believe what they were seeing, Stiles was staring with his mouth hanging open, his eyes never leaving where the woman was still clutching Derek as she flew ever higher, Derek still struggling against her, his hands wrapped around her arm and trying to pull free of her grip even as they moved further from the surface of the lake. 

Dean and Sam both had their guns pointed at her but nobody seemed to be able to decide what to do, all of them glancing at Stiles, as if waiting for him to decide what to do and Stiles didn’t know, he didn’t know what to do, he didn’t want Derek to get hurt, but, he couldn’t risk blasting magic at them when she’d drop Derek. He swiped a hand over his face, wiping away the water that still trickled from his hair, gritting his teeth and clenching his jaw, terrified that any sudden movement would cause her to drop Derek. 

“Have fun finding him.” She cackled before she let go of Derek, her hand spreading out palm face downward towards the surface of the lake and Derek seemed to fall faster than normal, as if something was dragging him down into the lake, Derek hit the surface with a loud splash and vanished from view and the woman laughed brightly, flapping her wings and continuing to hold her hand down towards the water. 

“Shoot her!” Stiles called out already running towards the end of the pier and diving into the water, swimming towards where he thought Derek would have landed. He could hear the faint bang of repeated gunshots from outside of the water but he blocked them out, his only thought was for Derek, Derek was down here somewhere, trapped under the water, some unseen force dragging him into the bottom of the lake, he couldn’t let him drown down here, he wouldn’t let him. He pushed himself to keep moving, ignoring the burning in his lungs, ignoring the throbbing in his head as he searched for any sign of Derek through the murky waters, he couldn’t give up, not now, if he went to the surface for air then Derek would die, he knew that beyond a shadow of a doubt. 

His lungs felt like they were on fire, his head felt it was going to explode, there was no way he was going to survive, no way he was going to make it out of here alive, no, Derek, Derek needed him, Derek needed him to find him, he couldn’t quit. He pushed forwards, stilling for a moment when he saw movement up ahead of him, Derek was lay on the bottom of the lake, struggling against an invisible force, his struggles were weakening, he was losing his battle. Stiles surged forwards, grabbing hold of him, placing his feet firmly on the base of the lake and pulling as hard as he could, Derek didn’t move, he was looking at Stiles with something like disbelief in his eyes, it was obvious to both of them that Derek wasn’t going to be pulled away from the base of the lake without some serious assistance. Stiles pulled again, gritting his teeth and fighting back the urge to breathe, if he inhaled they’d die, they’d both die. 

Derek pushed him away, pushed him up towards the surface and Stiles stared at him in confusion, unable to understand what Derek wanted before it came to him with sudden clarity, Derek wanted him to leave him. He glared at him as best he could, he was not going to leave Derek here, not if he could help him, he reached for his magic, felt it respond sluggishly, he’d used so much freeing the pack earlier, used so much trying to blast that bitch off her feet, and now, now he didn’t know if he had enough magic left to save the person who mattered most to him, the person he trusted the most, the person he would happily give his life for and the person who he loved more than anything. Stiles froze. He was in love with Derek. He was in love with him and he couldn’t lose him, not now, not ever. 

He grabbed him around his chest, planted his feet and pulled again, his vision blacking out for a moment before returning but it was still filled with spots of blackness, he was going to die down here, they both were. Derek’s hand brushed his cheek and Stiles stilled, looking at him in surprise, Derek’s eyes had softened, looking at Stiles with such tenderness that it made his chest ache and then suddenly, without warning, Derek leaned in and pressed their lips together, Stiles stilled in surprise, unable to believe what was happening right now, except then he felt it, felt the last of Derek’s air being pushed into his mouth, into his lungs, and then Derek’s mouth was falling away from his, his eyes sliding shut, his mouth hanging open and his body stilling in the water. Stiles stared at him in complete shock, everything stilling, his mind going blank, his head didn’t hurt or, if it did, he couldn’t feel it, all he could see was Derek lying still in the water, he was dead, Derek was dead. 

“No!” Stiles screamed, he screamed again, feeling the magic in his chest scream in denial too, he couldn’t lose him, he couldn’t lose Derek, he grabbed hold of every piece of magic he could feel inside him and screamed out his rage, his fear, his terror, his denial, screamed as he held onto Derek’s body, screamed and it felt like the entire lake was rippling with his pain, because he couldn’t lose Derek, he couldn’t, it wasn’t fair. Everything seemed to slow down, almost as if time stood still, and then suddenly the water around them exploded with a bright light except neither of them saw it, Derek was lying motionless at the bottom of the lake and Stiles was next to him, his hand wrapped tightly around Derek’s wrist, his eyes closed, his chest no longer moving, his skin so pale he looked almost translucent swaying in the current of the water.

Things were not going well above water, Dean had no idea what this bitch was but she was dangerous, their bullets had been deflected by an unseen force long before they reached her and when Cas had tried to disintegrate her she’d merely laughed and dive bombed them. Stiles had dived into the water after Derek almost six minutes ago and Dean was terrified, they should have been back up by now, they should be here, the fact they weren’t made him tremble with fear, he’d tried to order some of the pack to go after Stiles, to help him, to do something, but none of them could get near the water, whenever they tried the woman flying above them would wave her hand and they’d all be blasted backwards into the trees. All Dean could hope for was that she would start running low on energy soon, it was one thing he’d learned through years of hunting, you just had to outlast your opponent, out run them, out think them, out move them, whatever, it didn’t matter, you just had to keep going, eventually they would tire and then he could strike, except, right now, he couldn’t wait for her to tire out. Derek and Stiles were under the water and they hadn’t surfaced and he couldn’t wait for her to weaken, he needed to get to them now. 

He glanced at Sam who seemed to be thinking the same thing, he checked his gun, he had four bullets left, they didn’t seem to do anything to her, but, they had to keep trying, quitting meant dying, quitting meant losing Stiles. 

“Take her out Sammy.” Dean shouted, throwing his clip across to Sam who caught it deftly. As soon as Sam started firing Dean ran straight for the lake, his feet hitting the wooden pier solidly, he dove into the water smoothly and instantly shut his eyes as the entire lake seemed to explode into a light so bright he felt like he was staring straight at the sun, that his eyes had been burned out in the same way as if he looked at an angel in its natural form. He blinked a few times, hovering in the water as he attempted to gauge his surroundings before he spotted two dark figures floating near the bottom of the lake as the light filling the water slowly began to fade. He ploughed forward, desperate to get to them before he lost the light, he reached Stiles first, grabbing hold of him and shaking him, sheer terror running through his veins when he realised Stiles wasn’t breathing, he turned to Derek next, saw that the Alpha was also not breathing, he tried to shove them both towards the surface but found he didn’t have the strength. He let go of Derek, fully intending to get Stiles to the surface first and then come back for Derek, except as soon as he pulled Stiles’ hand from Derek’s wrist two things happened, firstly the light faded completely, they were left in the murky darkness of the lake and Dean wasn’t sure he’d even find his way to the surface, and, two, Derek blinked open his eyes, they were glowing Alpha red and he looked surprised, as if unable to believe he was still alive, and still under water, and then his gaze when Stiles, Stiles who was still not breathing and floating motionless in the water, he surged forwards, grabbing Stiles and then Dean’s arm and pushing them both towards the surface.

As soon as their heads broke the surface Dean sucked in great lungfuls of air, gasping for breath, shaking Stiles who was still not breathing, the pack were there and Dean handed Stiles to Peter and Isaac who had obviously broken free at some point, before Derek and Dean hauled themselves out of the water and fell to their knees next to Stiles. Dean realised the woman that had been attacking them was nowhere to be seen but it wasn’t high on his priority list right now, the fact that Stiles wasn’t breathing was the only thing he could think right now, the only thing he could concentrate on.

Sam slid to his knees on the opposite side of Stiles, checking his airways before he began chest compressions, nodding to Dean when he needed him to force air into Stiles’ lungs. Derek was staring at Stiles with tears streaming down his cheeks, looking horrified, his hands shaking even as he tried to steady his breathing, Stiles wasn’t breathing, Stiles was dead and it was his fault, it was all his fault, he should have never tried to tackle the witch, he should have made sure Stiles left him at the bottom of the lake, he should have done more, this was all his fault. 

“Stiles! Stiles, wake up, please.” Noah sobbed from here he was perched at the top of Stiles’ head, stroking his hair gently, wiping the water from his face and pleading with his son to wake up even as Sam and Dean continued their CPR attempt and the rest of the pack hovered around feeling incredibly useless. 

“Come on Stiles!” Dean grunted, forcing more air into Stiles’ lungs before Sam pressed down on his chest again, Cas stood nearby, still recovering from dragging Dean and the others from the lake, his grace depleted from rousing the others after nearly drowning, he could do nothing to help, none of them could. 

Suddenly Fang appeared, standing over Stiles protectively a moment before Stiles started coughing, water spilling from his lips as Dean rolled him onto his side and patted his back, forcing out the rest of the water, whispering reassurances as tears of relief rolling down his cheeks, the others all smiling with relief, tears in their eyes, Cas clapping a hand on Dean’s shoulder and Dean smiling up at him as he still rubbed Stiles’ back soothingly. 

“That’s it kid, get it all up, that’s it, you’re okay kid, you’re okay Stiles.” Noah whispered reassurances, stroking Stiles’ hair, muttering nonsense but it made him feel better, still Stiles coughed and spluttered until he eventually looked around blearily, his eyes shining bright red, a sure sign he had used too much magic.

“Stiles? You with us? You’re alright, you’re okay.” Sam said, his hands shaking with the adrenaline and the relief that was surging through his body. 

“Der’k?” Stiles muttered in exhaustion and Derek stumbled forwards, his knees practically giving out as he moved closer to Stiles, Fang rubbed his head affectionately against Derek’s shoulder as Derek gripped Stiles’ hand tightly. 

“I’m here Stiles, I’m fine.” Derek reassured him and Stiles nodded. 

“Good.” He replied, tightening his fingers around Derek’s for a fraction of a second before closing his eyes and slipping into sleep, Fang nuzzling up next to him and pressing his cold nose to Stiles’ neck, Derek let out a shaky laugh that dissolved into a sob, taking a steadying breath to try and get control of himself, Stiles was okay, he was alive, he was okay. He listened to the steady beating of Stiles’ heart to remind himself of that, it was the only thing that was keeping him sane. 

“What happened to that thing?” Dean asked, standing up and giving Cas a hug, as if to reassure himself that he was fine, Cas hugged him back just as tightly, before clapping a hand on Sam’s shoulder to make sure he was okay too. They were all stood on the pier, dripping wet from where they had been in the water, there were a few cuts and bruises from where they had fought the mad woman but nothing major, they just looked exhausted, like they could all sleep for a week. 

“Sam was shooting at her, but it wasn’t working, wasn’t doing anything…and then when you dived in…there was, like, an explosion…a light so bright we all shielded out eyes…and the water, it, um, exploded upwards, like a funnel of water…like a tornado or something, and, it sucked her in and then…it vanished just as quickly… and she was gone too.” Scott explained in broken sentences, still looking at Stiles with pain in his eyes, as if still not convinced that Stiles was alive, that he was okay. 

“What was she? I mean, she obviously wasn’t a siren?” Lydia queried. 

“I believe she was a Samodiva.” Cas supplied, “Their magic is old, powerful, and they increase their power by drowning their victims, she was incredibly strong, I would say she’s been around for centuries judging by the amount of power she possessed.” 

“We should get him somewhere warm, dry, we can talk about this at home, when we know Stiles is okay.” Derek said, moving to scoop Stiles up in his arms and stilling when he noticed a dark spiral appearing at the edge of Stiles’ shirt, he brushed his fingers over the wet fabric, his curiosity roused when he stared at the dark tattoo marking Stiles’ inner wrist. He wanted to explore further, wanted to see what else Stiles was hiding under his clothes but he knew he had no right to do that, especially when Stiles was unconscious, recovering from saving Derek’s life. Instead, he pulled his sleeve back down, covering the tattoo, making sure to keep his eyes away from Stiles’ skin in case he saw something else that piqued his interest, and scooped him up into his arms.


	15. Chapter 15

The drive back to the house was quiet, all of them were wrapped up in their own thoughts, the humans were shivering slightly as their wet clothes stuck to them, the wolves leaning in close to try and lend them some body heat until they got home and could get warm and dry. Dean and Sam both grabbed Stiles when they arrived, Fang staring at them grumpily while Dean just rolled his eyes, shifting slightly so that they both had an arm around Stiles’ waist and his arms were slung over their shoulders.

“Relax Fang, we’re just going to get him warm, dry clothes, and then he’s all yours.” Dean commented and Fang nodded almost happily while the rest of the pack piled into the house after them.

It seemed to be an unspoken agreement that as soon as they were all clean and dry that they would go to Stiles’ room and check on him, Derek arrived first, not really surprised to find Fang lying on the bed, resting his head on Stiles’ chest and looking at Derek with something like amusement before he closed his eyes and went back to sleep. Stiles was under the covers, his skin was still too pale and his lips looked almost blue with cold, Dean and Sam had piled cushions and blankets in around him but Derek wasn’t sure it was doing enough. Dean, Sam and Cas were all sat nearby, Cas holding tightly to Dean’s hand and Dean grinning softly whenever he glanced down at their interlocked fingers, Derek could smell the happiness wafting off him in droves, Derek thought it should feel wrong, how could anybody be happy when Stiles was unconscious? But, he couldn’t blame them, being happy that is, he was happy for them, he just, he wished he could feel that happiness with Stiles. 

They spent the next three days in Stiles’ room, all of them taking turns in keeping watch on him, making sure that somebody was always with Stiles, that they would be there for him the moment he woke up, only leaving the room when they needed to eat or go to the toilet, preferring instead to sleep near Stiles, where they could watch him, where they could know he was okay.

Stiles stirred slowly, he felt like he was wading through deep mud, pushing with everything he had just to be able to open his eyes, he blinked a few times, trying to take in the room around him, listening to the steady breathing that meant everyone was asleep. Fang moved his head upward, licking happily at Stiles’ face and Stiles did his best to raise his arm and pat his back despite the fact his arm felt like it weighed a thousand tonnes, Fang yipped happily as soon as his hand made contact and Stiles tried to shush him, to stop him waking anybody, but it was too late, he could already hear movement, people stirring around him.

“Stiles? Stiles, oh thank god, are you okay?” Derek said, rushing forward and grasping Stiles’ hand tightly. 

“M’fine.” Stiles replied, moving his gaze to Derek’s, surprised when the Alpha’s eyes flashed red suddenly before realising his own eyes were probably glowing, “Sorry.” He mumbled, scrunching his eyes shut and doing his best to bury his head under Fang’s belly. 

“Don’t be sorry Stiles.” Derek whispered, still squeezing his hand tightly, even though he couldn’t see Stiles’ face under all that fur but he refused to let go of Stiles’ hand. “Stiles, please don’t be sorry. You have nothing to be sorry for.” He glanced around at the rest of the pack, glad to see they were all still sleeping, partially because he wanted the time with Stiles by himself but also because they were all exhausted and they needed the sleep. 

“My eyes.” Stiles mumbled, so quiet that if Derek didn’t have wolf hearing he would have missed it. 

“There’s nothing wrong with your eyes Stiles, so they’re glowing red at the moment, so what? They’re still beautiful.” Derek replied and Stiles stilled as if he was holding his breath before his face appeared from underneath Fang and he was looking at Derek in surprise. 

“You think my eyes are beautiful?” Stiles said and Derek blushed in embarrassment, he hadn’t meant to say that, he tightened his grip a little, as if to steady himself more than anything else, and then nodded, still blushing and staring at Stiles like he was Derek’s whole world.

“I think you’re beautiful, I mean, not just your eyes, all of you, you’re, um, you’re an attractive guy.” Derek said in embarrassment, wishing the ground would swallow him up already. 

“Oh, so, um, like, you’re attracted to me? Because, like, obviously with the whole magic scent thing, I know you’ve thought about it, but, like, was that like a passing thought?” Stiles asked nervously and Derek knew Stiles was giving him an out, if he wanted to back out of his earlier admission. 

“Stiles, I think you’re beautiful, and, not just physically, I mean, I love your laugh, and I love when you smile, I hate how you put everybody else’s needs before your own, and I really hate how you act like your life means nothing, like it doesn’t matter, because you are the only one that matters to me, you could have died in that lake, no, you did die in that lake, Sam and Dean managed to get you breathing again, but, you died, trying to save me…”

“Yeah and you gave me your last breath, what was I supposed to do with it? Waste it swimming for the surface and leave you to die down there?” Stiles hissed almost heatedly, still keeping his voice quiet so as to not wake the others. 

“I’m glad you didn’t, I’m glad we’re both alive, but, the idea of losing you, of you dying, it terrifies me, because I can’t lose you Stiles, you matter too much to me.” Derek confessed. 

“You matter to me too.” Stiles whispered, biting his lower lip slightly, hesitating before he seemed to find his courage, “Derek, I, um, I care about you, a lot, and, I know, I know things are complicated with me, that like, I’m sort of messed up, because like, I’m not exactly experienced, or not with healthy relationships anyway, and things like that, so I’d totally get if you didn’t want to even consider it because why would you, I mean, god, why would you ever want…forget it, that was stupid, I’m, just, just forget it.” Stiles said sounding terrified, his eyes actually scrunched up by the time he was done, his heart racing incredibly fast.

“Stiles, relax.” Derek said, rubbing his thumb over the back of Stiles’ hand until Stiles opened his eyes to look at Derek, “Good, Now, listen to me, you are perfect Stiles. I don’t care about what you’ve dealt with, well, I do, god, of course I do, and I know that things aren’t maybe going to be as simple as if you’d only experienced good, happy relationships, but, my last girlfriend burned my family alive and I killed the first one, so you’re not the only one that maybe doesn’t have the best experiences, look, I don’t know how this is going work, or even if it’s going to work, or how you feel, or whatever, but, I know how I feel, I know that I care about you, a lot, I mean, Stiles, I, I don’t expect anything from you, I’m not saying this because I want you to say anything back, I don’t want that, so, I just, I want to make that clear, because I don’t want you to feel like I’m pressuring you or anything, but, I love you Stiles, and, I know, I know you hate those words, I know you hate hearing them, but, I, I’m in love with you and I’d really like to take you on a date, if you’d want to?” Derek rambled nervously.

Stiles was silent, he was staring at Derek with wide eyes, still half buried under Fang’s fur while the pack slept on around him. Derek’s heart was hammering so loud in his ears that he was sure he’d never be able to hear anything other than his own heartbeat again, and yet still Stiles was silent, obviously trying to process everything Derek had said, but, god, Derek needed him to speak, needed him to say something, 

“I don’t.” Stiles muttered eventually and Derek looked at him in confusion, “I don’t hate those words, I just, I hated them coming from him.” Stiles confessed and Derek squeezed his hand tightly in comfort, “I like when my dad says he loves me, I like when Dean says it or Sam says it or any of the pack says it, and I, um,” Stiles swallowed, “I like when you say it too, I know you mean it differently, I mean, differently than him, I know, I know you wouldn’t ever hurt me, and not just like he did, I mean, you wouldn’t ever hurt me, Derek, I know that when I’m scared, I think of you and I’m brave, the thought of you gives me courage, I know that when I’m about to do something stupid I think of you, and your voice in my head always tells me to stop being so reckless, to be smarter, I know that you will always do your absolute best to protect me, advise me, help me, no matter what. When we were in the water, when you died, I just, I realised, I realised I couldn’t lose you, I love the pack, I love dad and Dean and Sam and Cas, I love them all and I’d do anything for any of them, they know that, you know that, but, I care about you, the thought of you dying down there, I couldn’t lose you Derek, I couldn’t. I love you Derek. I’m in love with you.” Stiles confessed, looking equal parts terrified and relieved at finally admitting it.

“So that means you’d be willing to go on a date with me?” Derek smiled a moment later and Stiles let out a small laugh, nodding repeatedly as Derek stared at him with a smile on his lips. “Okay, that sounds good, we need to wait until you are properly recovered and then I’ll take you out to dinner.” 

“You’re not going to cook for me?” Stiles teased. 

“We both know I can’t cook.” Derek laughed still clutching Stiles’ hand tightly. 

“Yeah we do.” Stiles replied fondly, biting his lower lip for a moment before shifting slightly, enough that he was sat up in the bed with Fang on his lap rather than lay down, “Derek, can I, can we, I don’t want the only kiss that we’ve had to be you giving me the last of your air.” 

“Yeah, well, if you’re comfortable with that, then it won’t be, when you’re ready, when you’re better.” Derek agreed. 

“No, no, I mean, I mean now Derek, I’m ready now.” Stiles muttered, “Please?” He asked and Derek looked at him in surprise, he wanted to, of course he did, he just didn’t want to pressure Stiles, didn’t want him to feel like it was something he had to do. “Please Derek?” Stiles asked again and Derek wasn’t able to resist him, he leaned forward, resting his hand against Stiles’ cheek and leaning forward slowly questioningly, giving Stiles every chance to stop this, to change his mind. “I’m not going to break Der.” Stiles smiled softly and Derek rolled his eyes, closing the gap between them, pressing their lips together. 

It felt like a bolt of electricity between them, both of them stilling for a moment, as both of them got used to the feeling, Stiles leaned forwards, increasing the pressure about Derek’s lips, shifting so that he could place a hand on Derek’s side, pulling him a little closer, Derek’s hand moved to his jaw, cupping it gently as he tilted his head slightly and deepened the kiss. He pulled away a moment later, aware that this was all new to Stiles and he didn’t want to push things, but as soon as Derek pulled away Stiles let out a little whine, almost pouting and Derek let out a blinding grin, feeling so happy, so unbelievably happy that he felt like he was about to burst. 

“Urgh, who’s stinking out the room?” Jackson mumbled sleepily before he blinked open his eyes and saw Derek perched on the bed next to Stiles, both of them looking at him a little guiltily. “You’re awake!” Jackson said excitedly, moving towards the bed and disturbing half the pack in the process, all of them moving towards Stiles as if to reassure themselves that he was indeed fine. 

“How are you feeling?” Dean asked, reaching over Derek to check Stiles’ temperature and Stiles rolled his eyes.

“Fine, just a bit tired still, what happened to the woman, siren but not a siren thing, is she dead?” Stiles asked, sitting up a bit straighter and pushing Fang gently off his lap as he tried to get out of bed. 

“Take a breath kid, you’ve been out of it for three days, just take it easy, she’s dead, it’s okay.” Noah advised and Stiles stood up from the bed, swaying slightly and grinning when Derek steadied him, Derek beamed back at him just as brightly, as if unable to believe his luck, and everyone seemed to notice at once. 

“So you told him then?” Peter asked and Stiles looked at him in surprise. 

“How did you know?” Stiles said and Derek blushed slightly as everyone in the room broke into smiles. 

“Oh please, Derek has been pining after you for years, it’s about time he told you.” 

“Years?” Stiles muttered in shock and Derek blushed even brighter. 

“It wasn’t a big deal or anything.” Derek replied quietly, staring at the ground in embarrassment. 

“Oh no, no way big guy, years? Seriously? Since when? I mean, I figured it was since I came back to town but years? Really?” Stiles asked sounding gobsmacked. 

“Yeah, well, um, I guess, yeah.” Derek admitted sheepishly. 

“Since when Derek? When did you realise?” Stiles queried, looking at Derek with wonder, as if he couldn’t believe that Derek had been in love with him for years and he hadn’t known about it. 

“Can you, can you give us some privacy please?” Derek asked everyone and they all looked at him in almost annoyance before they left the room, Dean dragging Fang along with him, Fang huffed in annoyance before he trotted out of the room with his nose in the air.

“You know they’re going to be listening in from outside the door?” Stiles joked and Derek nodded. 

“Yeah, I know, but, at least it makes me think we’re alone.” 

“Okay.” Stiles said patiently, “So, when did you realise you were in love with me?” Derek took a deep breath, looking almost terrified, clenching his hands into fists until Stiles reached out and took Derek’s hand in his own, “If it’s that upsetting you don’t have to tell me.” He said reasonably. 

“It’s not upsetting, I mean, not, being in love with you, that’s not upsetting, it’s just, thinking back over all the mistakes I made, all the times I let you down.” Derek admitted.

“Der, you’ve never let me down.” Stiles replied confidently. 

“I have, god, I have, so many times. I knew, I knew I cared about you since you saved me from Kate’s bullet. I mean, that’s when I knew I could trust you, I didn’t, I didn’t realise I was falling for you, not for a while, and then I fought it, because I didn’t think I deserved it, deserved to be happy, and I didn’t want you in danger, and I thought that you wouldn’t be interested, I mean, why would you? Except the more time I spent with you, the more I fell in love with you, and I saw how you tried to protect your friends, and I thought that by helping them it would show you that I cared about you, that I cared about you being happy.” Derek explained.

“Der…” Stiles started but Derek cut him off.

“No, just let me explain, please?” He said and Stiles nodded, “So, I thought that maybe we were working towards something except then you nearly died with Gerard and I let you down, I didn’t come for you, I didn’t even know it had happened, you suffered at his hands and I didn’t know about it, wouldn’t have ever known about it if Gusion hadn’t told us. I knew about ‘the other team beating you up’, and I figured being around werewolves was just too dangerous for you, that you would be safer away from all of us, so I told everyone to keep their distance. I thought that, you know, you had your whole life together, you were happy and you were in love with Lydia and had that whole ten-year plan, so I thought it was better to keep my distance, keep you out of danger, except then the Alpha pack attacked me and they said they were going to go after the person I cared about most, so I came over to the house and then your dad found out and then the Alphas started leaving notes on your doorstep and I knew I couldn’t leave you unprotected, and I didn’t want to, I didn’t want to be away from you because I’d missed you, except then everything happened with Gusion and Rafael and you were gone and I didn’t know how to fix everything, because it was my fault, because I didn’t notice how scared you were and I let you down, I left you alone with him and I didn’t realise and, god, Stiles, you thought you weren’t pack, that I didn’t want you in the pack, how could you think that? You were all that mattered to me, you are all that matters to me, I love the pack, I do, and I’d do anything for any of them, but, you, you could ask anything of me and I’d do it, just to see you smile, and, you didn’t even realise, I’d failed you that badly that you didn’t know you were everything to me.” Derek rambled, tears filling his eyes, looking devastated and Stiles moved forwards, cupping his chin gently and forcing Derek to meet his gaze.

“You have never let me down Derek, never.” He said firmly. “You think that you should have known things that I kept hidden from everyone? I’m a good liar Derek, I’m good at keeping things hidden, especially if it’s to protect the people I care about. I didn’t want anyone to know about Gerard. I didn’t want anyone to know about Rafael. I didn’t want anyone to know all the things I’d done over the years, all the lies I’d told. You didn’t let me down just by not knowing what nobody else knew, that I didn’t want anyone to know. So, please, please, don’t ever think that again, ever.” Stiles said. 

“Stiles…” Derek whined. 

“No. No, you can’t ever think you’ve failed me, you haven’t, none of the pack have, dad hasn’t, Dean and Sam and Cas haven’t, I’m still here, I’m still standing and that’s because of you, because of all of you. You helped me to survive Derek. You helped me to be here now. Alive. Breathing. Healthy. Happy. So fucking happy Der. And not just because I love you and you love me, but, I’m happier than I have been in a long time, I feel like I’m dealing with things better and, just, getting better in general. The things that happened, they weren’t my fault, they were him, all him. And I get that now, it took a long time, but, I get it. I don’t know that it’ll ever stop feeling like it was my fault, that Scott lost his dad because of me, but, I know in my head that it wasn’t, and hopefully, in time, I’ll know it in my heart too. He was a monster. I’m getting off track, point is, I’m happy Derek, I’m happy and I’m alive and I couldn’t have done that without you, without everyone, so I won’t accept that you let me down, you didn’t, everything I’ve done, everything that’s happened, it’s led us here, to right now, to each other. Sure, there were probably easier paths, but, you can’t dwell on what if’s, life doesn’t work that way and I’m trying really hard to not think about all the things that could have happened, just on what has happened, and what has happened is that I’ve just told the man I love that I love him, that I am in love with him and that I want to go on a date with him because he’s perfect, to me, you are so perfect Derek. You balance me out, you are so overly protective it’s ridiculous but I love that you want to protect me, you have the biggest freaking heart, like, it’s stupid how much you care about everyone around you, how fiercely you love them, and you do this stupid smile when you’re happy that makes it feel like I can’t breathe and…”

“Stiles take a breath.” Derek grinned putting a hand over Stiles’ mouth and pulling it away just as quickly when Stiles licked his palm, grinning mischievously. 

“My point was that you have never let me down and I hate the idea that you think you have, because you haven’t, I promise you I have never, not once, thought that you let me down.” Stiles said with determination.

“But I have…” Derek argued, stilling when this time Stiles slapped his hand over Derek’s mouth.

“No. You haven’t. I know that if you’d known about Gerard, about Rafael, then I know you would have done everything you could to help me, however you could. So, please, don’t ever think like that again, okay?” 

“I’ll try.” Derek replied and Stiles knew it was the best he was going to get right now. 

“Good, okay, now, help me downstairs, I’m starving.” Stiles said, still leaning against Derek and smiling softly when Derek wrapped a hand around his waist and pulled him into his side, leaning to press his nose against Stiles’ neck and inhaling his scent as Stiles laughed brightly, “Down boy.” Stiles teased. 

“You smell so good.” Derek mumbled and Stiles shrugged. 

“I guess my magic must be coming back quicker than I realised?” He said uncertainly, he couldn’t feel it, but, that was the only thing that made sense. 

“No, you always smell good, when your magic comes back it amplifies your scent, but you always smell incredible.” Derek admitted and Stiles blushed slightly. 

“So, what does it amplify for you? Like, for the others, they said about power and strength and stuff, what does it amplify for you? Or is that like a super personal question?” Stiles asked and Derek shook his head fondly. 

“Honestly? It makes me want to bare my throat to you and beg you to fuck me. Mainly because you are the only person that I would willingly submit to.” Derek confessed and Stiles stared at him in shock.

“You’d…um…you’d want me to do that?” Stiles asked and Derek shrugged casually. 

“Yeah, if it was what you wanted.”

“Not if you didn’t want it too? Like, I wouldn’t want to do it just because you wanted me happy, I’d want you to be happy and enjoying yourself too?” He said uncertainly. 

“Oh, I would definitely be enjoying myself.” Derek grinned in reply, tugging Stiles a little closer until their chests were pressed together. “But, we’re not there yet, and won’t be for a while, we’re going to take this slow, okay? Not do anything that both of us aren’t completely comfortable with, sound fair?” 

“Sounds good to me.” Stiles whispered, his eyes darting to Derek’s lips for a second before moving back to his eyes, Stiles licked his lips nervously and Derek tracked the movement with his eyes, Stiles smiled, leaning in a little closer so he could feel Derek’s hot breath on his lips, “So, would you be completely comfortable with another kiss?” He asked cheekily and Derek nodded quickly, Stiles smiled, leaning in and pressing their lips together, there was a bit more familiarity this time, it didn’t take away the excitement, the happiness, the newness of it all, but, still, Stiles felt more comfortable, he stepped closer, wrapping his hands around Derek’s neck and tangling his fingers in his hair, Derek’s hands went to his waist, resting gently on his hips, gripping a bit tighter when Stiles deepened the kiss. Stiles was in heaven, he was pretty certain that he could be happy with never moving away from Derek again, who needed to eat really? He could just kiss Derek freaking Hale for the rest of his life and be happy. He never believed he could be happy like this, never believed that Derek would feel the same way about him, a small part of him whispered that he didn’t deserve to be happy, that he was a murderer, that Scott no longer had a father because of him and Stiles deserved to be miserable, he did his best to shut that part of him out, even though he doubted it would ever go away altogether. 

“Okay.” Derek said pulling away a moment later, trying to catch his breath even as he held Stiles close, resting their foreheads together. 

“What? Were you not enjoying yourself?” Stiles asked in confusion and Derek glanced downwards.

“I think the issue here is that I’m enjoying myself way too much.” He grinned and Stiles blushed slightly, not really surprised to find himself in a similar situation, “But, I said slow and I meant it, I’m planning on us spending the rest of our lives together, we don’t need to rush.” Derek explained and Stiles felt his heart flutter with love. 

“Really? The rest of our lives?” Stiles smiled brightly and Derek nodded solemnly. 

“I’m in love with you Stiles, nothing is ever going to change that, and, if you change your mind, if you want to be with someone else in the future, well, that’s okay, I want you to be happy, but so long as you know that I will always love you and always want to be with you.” Derek said, his fingers toying with the hem of Stiles’ t-shirt, looking at that rather than at him, Stiles ducked down so that he could meet Derek’s gaze and beamed. 

“Der, you and me, this is it, I feel the same way, I love you, I trust you, I want you happy, I want to make you happy, and I want you to make me happy too, you do make me happy already, but, you know, I want us to be happy, together, for the rest of our lives.” Stiles smiled softly. “I love you Derek Hale.” Stiles said and Derek blushed, looking away from Stiles’ eyes when he felt his cock almost throb with want, he did his best to adjust himself discreetly but Stiles saw him, obviously, and he smirked, “Does that turn you on? I love you. I love you. I love you.” He said, separating each repetition with a quick kiss, on his lips, on his jaw, on his neck. Derek actually let out a groan at that, and his grip tightened on Stiles’ hips, Stiles grinned against Derek’s skin, glad that he was causing such a reaction in Derek. 

“Stiles…” Derek whined, doing his best not to thrust forward just to feel some friction on his cock, god, he was so turned on, Stiles kissing his neck had to be the most incredible thing he’d ever felt, and he really needed to stop now before he lost his freaking mind. Instead he pulled Stiles’ hips closer, moved his lips to Stiles’, kissed him hungrily, desperately, Stiles kissed him back, sucking gently on Derek’s bottom lip until their mouths parted and their tongues collided. Stiles pushed Derek backwards slightly and he felt the wall at his back, he forgot about it instantly as Stiles’ mouth was on his again, Stiles pressed himself forward, so that the entire length of their bodies were pressed together and then he ground his hips slightly and Derek’s cock throbbed, his desire overtaking him, he was so hard, he was so horny, and Jesus Christ, Stiles felt so fucking good, he smelled so good, he tasted so good, he was going to lose his freaking mind. 

Stiles’ hands were on Derek’s hips, pulling him close, so close, god, it felt so good, Derek moved his hands, sliding them around Stiles’ back, slipping lower to rest on his ass, Stiles moaned into his mouth and ground forwards again, Derek licked into his mouth, tasting him, their tongues moving in unison, god, he felt light-headed, giddy with happiness. He could feel Stiles grinning in between kisses, knew that he was enjoying himself just as much, especially if the hardness of cock rubbing against Derek’s leg was anything to go by, Stiles ground forwards again and Derek could feel the beginning of his orgasm starting, knew it from the way his vision was beginning to turn red, the way his whole body seemed to throb with desire and god, he was so freaking close. 

“Stiles, Stiles, wait.” He muttered against Stiles’ lips, he needed to stop, he couldn’t, couldn’t do this, not yet, it was too soon, Stiles needed to take this slow, Stiles pulled away, looking at Derek with worry and Derek tried not to whine at the loss of contact, his cock pulsing as he tried to take a steadying breath. 

“What? Did I…Are you not…Did you not want to?” Stiles whispered looking horrified and Derek shook his head, a grin on his lips, feeling so blissed out that he could barely think straight. 

“No, no, of course I do, I just, I’m so…” He reached down, squeezing himself slightly in an attempt to get himself under control and Stiles glanced down before grinning. 

“And you think I’m not?” Stiles pointed, indicating where his own trousers were tight against his hard cock. 

“Yeah and we said we’d take it slow, I don’t want to pressure you…”

“Dude! You are not pressuring me. Believe me, I know what I want and what I don’t. I’ll tell you if I’m not happy, trust me, if you do something I don’t like you will damn well know about it. So, don’t baby me, I’m capable of making my own decisions, of knowing what I want. Like, right now, I really want to kiss you again, is that okay?” Stiles asked. 

“I told you not to call me dude.” Derek muttered half-heartedly and Stiles laughed, his eyes lighting up with mirth, with love. 

“Get used to it dude.” He joked and Derek growled teasingly, spinning them around quickly so that Stiles was the one pressed against the wall, Derek nosed at his neck, nipping and sucking teasingly as he ground his hips forward and Stiles groaned loudly in response, throwing his head back and exposing his neck even further. “Fuck Derek.” Stiles moaned, thrusting his hips forwards and Derek felt like he was going to explode as he thrust forward to meet Stiles, as he ground against him, as they kissed hungrily and greedily, like they’d never be able to get enough. 

“Stiles, fuck, Stiles.” Derek muttered, feeling like he was on the precipice, that he was only moments from falling over the edge. 

“That’s it Der, fuck, right there, shit, Derek.” Stiles moaned in reply, his hands resting around Derek’s neck, tangling in his hair, pulling on it gently, as they kissed and ground against each other. “Oh god, fuck, Derek, god, oh god.” Stiles said, he was so close, so fucking close, “Shit, Derek, shit, I’m going to, god, I’m going to…” He trailed off as his orgasm overwhelmed him, as Derek ground against him for a few more seconds until he stilled, Stiles’ name on his lips as he rode his orgasm. They stood still pressed against each other for a few moments, trying to catch their breaths, still the shaking in their legs, Stiles let out a little huff of laughter and Derek pulled him into another kiss. 

“I love you Stiles.” Derek whispered and Stiles nodded, still trying to catch his breath. 

“I love you too sourwolf.” Stiles replied, leaning against the wall and tugging Derek close to him, both of them grinning slightly at the use of the nickname. “Well, that was, wow.” Stiles muttered, feeling a little light-headed even as his stomach rumbled hungrily. 

“Yeah.” Derek replied, still trembling from his orgasm, if it felt that good with clothes on he couldn’t wait to find out how good it would feel without clothes. He heard Stiles’ stomach growl hungrily and guilt flooded through him, “Jesus, we were supposed to be getting you food to help you recover!” 

“Food smood.” Stiles waved a hand in happiness, “That was way better than any food ever. We should repeat that, like, all the time, maybe not right now, because, woah, head rush, but, oh my god, let’s do that again, with less clothes next time.” He said and Derek grinned, his cheeks aching but he just couldn’t stop, god, he loved Stiles, he loved him so much. 

“Come on, lets get food then we can discuss what we feel like doing next.” Derek smiled and Stiles nodded, taking his hand and following him downstairs. 

Thankfully the pack hadn’t been waiting outside the door, Stiles would have been horrified if he’d thought they’d been listening in, instead they were spread out over the house, only Isaac and Peter in the kitchen when they finally got there. 

“You could have showered when you were done.” Isaac muttered quietly and Stiles flushed in embarrassment. 

“Sorry.” He said before Isaac grinned and clapped a hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t worry about it, at least one of us is getting some action.” Isaac teased and Stiles flushed brighter when Noah walked into the kitchen, obviously hearing at least some of what they were discussing, Derek tightened his grip on Stiles’ hand, obviously nervous and Stiles shot him a small reassuring smile. 

“Hey daddio. You okay?” Stiles asked. 

“Yeah kiddo, you?” Noah asked, helping himself to some food that was sat on the kitchen table, Stiles moved to the fridge and opened it, praying desperately for something he could eat right now, because, dear god, was he hungry! Orange juice! Orange juice was good! He grabbed the carton, taking a long swig and almost groaning with relief, before he returned his attention to what else could be hiding in there, startling slightly when Dean tapped his shoulder with a loaf of bread and Stiles grinned at him, snatching it gratefully, moving over to the counter next to Derek and jumping up on it while beginning to pick at the bread. 

“You feeling okay?” Dean asked. 

“Yeah, tired, hungry, the usual.” Stiles dismissed casually around a mouthful of food. 

“No wonder, you did some big magic back there.” Sam commented as Fang padded towards Stiles, nuzzling his head into his hand for a moment before he vanished. Derek saw a black swirl appear on Stiles’ hand and he snatched it, staring in shock at the tattoo of Fang that was now on Stiles’ palm, his mouth dropping open in awe when the tattoo disappeared under his sleeve, Derek pulled at the sleeve of the shirt, trying to track Fang’s movements while Stiles just stared at him in bemusement. 

“You okay there big guy?” Stiles asked. 

“Fang, you, he, he was here, but, then, he’s a tattoo?” Derek mumbled, still staring at Stiles’ skin even though Fang had now vanished under his shirt. 

“A tattoo?” Scott asked in surprise, appearing in the doorway from the living room. 

“Yeah, um, well, Fang he, um, well, he moves, I mean, yeah, he kind of moves, not all the time, but, yeah, he moves I mean, yeah, he moves.” Stiles rambled, aware of the eyes of the entire pack on him now, searching as if they could see the tattoo under his shirt, “I mean, at least he’s the only one that moves, the others all stay where they are, so, like, I only have to worry about him making a surprise appearance, although, I’ve mainly got it under control, like, he doesn’t usually come out from under my clothes unless he’s coming into actual corporeal form anyway, and if that’s happening, chances are there’s bigger things happening than a tattoo turning into a real life huge wolf.” Stiles explained while the rest of the pack stared at him like he’d lost his mind.

“You have other tattoos?” Noah eventually asked and Stiles flushed. 

“Yeah, sorry, I was, um, I was going to tell you about that, I just, I guess I was waiting for the right time?” Stiles said sheepishly. 

“And why did you think you had to keep it from me? How many tattoos do you have?” Noah quizzed and Stiles shrugged. 

“I just, I figured you’d be annoyed, because, well, okay, maybe the first one was to make sure I didn’t get possessed again, and, then the second one was to help with control of my magic and then like, well, the rest were to defeat Metatron, so, you know…” Stiles said quietly, trailing off when everyone looked confused. 

“How did the tattoos help defeat Metatron?” Jackson asked. 

“Well, they’re not like normal tattoos, they’re, um, they’re runes.” Stiles explained. 

“Runes?” Allison queried.

“Mages used to use them, as a way to centre their magic.” Dean said helpfully and Stiles shot him a grateful smile. “We tried them out with a pen first, but, then Stiles snuck off and got the control rune tattooed and he said he felt so much more in control, that his magic was more responsive and all that, and then, when we went up against Metatron, Stiles thought the runes could help him, you know, increase strength, agility, healing, stealth, endurance, etc etc, and we didn’t think it was a great idea, because, you know, tattoos are kind of permanent, but he wasn’t going to change his mind and we figured if we helped then at least we knew he’d get them done properly and then, Fang, well, he just kind of appeared by himself.” 

“Wow.” Erica muttered and there was a bit of a hushed silence over the rest of the room. 

“Yeah, well, there you go.” Stiles said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. 

“Can we see?” Scott asked and Stiles looked at him in surprise. 

“Why?” 

“Curiosity?” Scott replied and Stiles looked at him uncertainly. 

“It’s not like they’re pretty? They’re functional?” Stiles said and Scott nodded. 

“I get that, I’m just, wondering?” Scott muttered and Stiles shrugged. 

“I guess, yeah, sure.” He said, looking at the rest of the pack who were all waiting and he realised that everybody else wanted to see too. “Right, um, sure, okay.” He muttered, feeling suddenly nervous, he wasn’t sure he wanted Scott to see the scars his dad had left, he didn’t want to upset him, but, Scott seemed determined and Stiles knew he wasn’t going to change his mind. He gritted his teeth and pulled his shirt up over his head in one swift movement, knowing it wasn’t going to be any easier dragging it out. There was a stunned silence for a few moments as everyone stared at him, or, more accurately, his chest, Stiles kept his hands at his sides so that they could see the tattoos clearly, but, his hands were clenched into fists and they could smell the unease coming off him. 

“What’s this one do?” Erica asked, reaching out to touch the rune in the middle of his chest and Derek let out a warning growl from next to Stiles, Stiles shot him a confused look except Derek was still glaring at Erica. 

“It’s, um, it’s for healing.” Stiles muttered, still not sure why Derek had reacted like that. 

“That one is obviously the anti-possession one?” Peter queried, pointing to the one that was half covering Rafael’s initials. “What’s the one next to it?” He pointed to the one that was covering the other half of the initials. 

“That one is for endurance.” Stiles explained, running them through what each tattoo meant, pulling up his trousers legs so they could see the one for stealth on his ankle and the one for acceleration on his other ankle. 

“So, are you like super strong then?” Ethan said, “I mean, that would explain how you managed to knock me out?” 

“I can be.” Stiles agreed, “I sort of, I can control the flow of magic to them, so, like, I’m not super strong all the time, or anything like that, when I first got them I kept the flow of magic all the time, but, like, I broke a door or two, so, I cut it off pretty quickly, now I only activate them when I need them.” 

“That’s incredible.” Lydia said, trailing her fingertips over Stiles’ collarbone where Fang was pacing quietly, looking from Lydia to the rest of the pack before curling up and going to sleep.

“Alright, enough.” Derek snapped, pulling Lydia’s fingers away from Stiles’ skin and Stiles was kind of surprised by that behaviour.

“Dude, what is with you? I said I’d tell you if I was uncomfortable. I’m fine.” Stiles said, he got that Derek was protective, he understood that, and he was okay with it, but, he wasn’t going to put up with him dictating how Stiles would handle things. 

“It’s nothing to do with how you feel.” Derek growled, his eyes flickering red for a moment before he managed to get them back under control and he sighed, shaking his head in frustration. 

“What? What’s that supposed to mean?” Stiles said in confusion. 

“I think our Alpha is experiencing a little bit of jealously right now.” Peter remarked, smirking at Derek who growled at him in reply. “I understand why of course, having people touching his mate, when your relationship is still so new, when you haven’t even claimed each other properly, especially when they reek of arousal, it must be very hard for him to not tear their throats out, why do you think I’m staying very far out of his reach?” 

“What?” Stiles said stunned, “I’m, what? You mean, um, Lyds, are you like, checking me out?” Stiles asked in surprise, blushing when Lydia ran her eyes up and down his body again, he’d thought she’d been looking at the tattoos, thought they all had been. 

“I wish I could say no, but, they’d be able to tell I’m lying.” Lydia replied, smirking devishly before moving back to Jackson, Stiles flushed, pulling his shirt back on quickly and looking to Derek who didn’t seem to have relaxed at all. 

“Oh, well, okay then.” Stiles said, his gaze going to the floor to try and hide the flush on his cheeks. “Who knew all I needed to get Lydia Martin turned on was to whip off my shirt?” He said trying to make a joke of things. 

“It’s really not just me.” Lydia commented and Stiles bit his bottom lip, nodding. 

“Well, wow, that’s, um, that’s flattering and everything, but, I kind of have a hot Alpha werewolf boyfriend? Right? So, you know, thanks and stuff, but, I’m not interested.” Stiles said uncertainly, glancing to Derek for confirmation, Derek just grinned, cupping Stiles’ jaw and kissing him softly, sweetly. Stiles returned the kiss eagerly, grinning against his lips when Derek caged him in against the counter, Derek turning his back on the rest of the pack to kiss Stiles. 

“You are most definitely my boyfriend Stiles, you’re more than that, you’re my mate, you’re mine and I’m yours.” Derek muttered against his lips when they finally broke the kiss. 

“I think I’m going to puke. Just for the record, I’m not attracted to you, in the slightest.” Scott said from where he leaned against the counter on the other side of the kitchen and Stiles let out a bright laugh. 

“Good to know Scott boy.” He teased, gripping Derek’s hand tightly. “Well, food is great but I think I need to sleep some more.” He said and Derek nodded. 

“That’s sensible, I’ll come with you.” 

“You’ve already done that.” Stiles teased brightly and Derek grinned back at him, pulling him in for another kiss.

“God I love you.” Derek smiled. 

“I love you too Der, but, we both know if I take you to bed now neither of us are going to sleep.” Stiles said quietly, hoping his dad wasn’t listening in. 

“Oh god, I’m leaving before I have to hear any more of this.” Scott said and Stiles laughed.

“Like I didn’t hear a thousand times worse when you and Allison first got together?” He teased and Scott flushed. 

“Which you promised you’d never repeat to another soul.” Scott said.

“And I keep my promises.” Stiles replied. “Just, you know, be warned, I’m going to be equally as sickening as you were, maybe even more so.” Scott shook his head in bemusement before pulling Stiles into a hug. 

“I’m really glad you’re happy dude, just, um, maybe shower next time?” Scott muttered and Stiles grimaced slightly. 

“Sorry.” He mumbled. 

“I’m really glad you are happy.” Scott repeated, “You deserve it Stiles, you deserve all the happiness in the world.” 

“Thanks man.” Stiles said, hugging Scott a little tighter before finally pulling away. “Now, seriously, I’m exhausted, I’m going to sleep for a bit, okay?” 

“Yeah, you go crash, we’ll wake you up for food.” Dean said and Stiles gave Derek a quick kiss on the lips before heading up to bed. 

Stiles woke up hours later when the door cracked open, Derek was standing there, looking apologetic and Stiles smiled at him fondly. 

“What’s up?” He asked, stretching leisurely and feeling the deep ache in his muscles from where his magic was slowly replenishing, his vision still tinged with red. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you, I was just coming to see if you wanted food.” Derek replied. 

“Food sounds good.” Stiles said, watching with amusement as Derek studied his body as he stretched. “Unless you’re hungry for something else?” He teased, throwing the covers back slightly. 

“You need to recover.” Derek scolded, his eyes still lingering on Stiles’ body. 

“I’m totally fine.” 

“Your eyes are still red.”

“And they will be for a few days, come on Der, you know this, I’m fine, I just used too much magic, I need food and sleep, more than usual, but, other than that, I’m fine. I thought I kind of proved that earlier on?” 

“Yesterday.” Derek smirked and Stiles looked at him in confusion.

“I slept through the day?” 

“Yep, and the entire night, I was offering breakfast. I did a fry-up?” 

“Well, that’s about the only thing you can cook.” Stiles replied jokingly, clambering out of the bed slowly and pulling Derek into a kiss, “Good job you’re so great at everything else.” He smiled lovingly.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter! I hope those of you that have stuck with it this far enjoy the ending! I was a little unsure about writing Stiles having sex after all the trauma he'd been through previously, but, I hope that it seems acceptable and not too far fetched under the circumstances! 
> 
> Thanks for reading! :)

Derek and Stiles sat in the kitchen by themselves, revelling in the alone time, constantly touching each other in one way or another, the brush of fingertips across their necks, the soft press of lips against stubbled skin, knocking their shoulders together when Stiles tried to steal bacon from the pan before it was even cooked, he was happy, he was content. 

“Der?” Stiles asked from where he was sat on the counter next to Derek who was just plating up their breakfasts. 

“Mmm?” Derek replied, humming happily as he inhaled Stiles’ scent, doing his best to not explode with happiness. 

“What did Peter mean yesterday?” 

“Which part?” Derek queried, “About everyone stinking out the room with arousal and me failing to hide my jealously?” 

“No. Although we seriously need to have a talk about that too, because I kind of like your jealously, like, I like that you find me attractive enough to get jealous…”

“Don’t be ridiculous, you’re gorgeous.” Derek interrupted and Stiles shrugged. “Stiles, you are beautiful, and, evidently, I’m not the only one who thinks so, hence the jealously, just because you don’t see yourself clearly doesn’t mean nobody else sees you.” Stiles blushed slightly but didn’t argue with Derek, knowing it was pointless.

“Anyway, the point was, Peter said about that we were mates and hadn’t claimed each other properly yet, what does that mean?” Stiles asked in curiosity and Derek moved closer to him, standing in between his legs, wrapping his arms around Stiles’ waist while Stiles shifted forwards slightly on the counter and put his arms on Derek’s shoulders.

“Werewolves, we believe, or, we feel, born wolves are slightly different from bitten wolves, so, I don’t know if the others feel it, I know Ethan feels it about Danny, but, well, I haven’t asked the others if they feel it too, but, I think they do, just maybe a slightly watered-down version…”

“Der, you’re rambling.” Stiles teased, pressing a kiss to his cheek. 

“Right, yeah, sorry, but, um, well, born wolves, we don’t have ‘boyfriends’ or ‘girlfriends’ we have mates, it’s kind of the same sort of thing, I guess, but, I don’t know, it’s kind of hard to explain, but, it’s pretty much the same thing, but, it means more to us, like, a mate, it’s not just a passing thing, it’s, it’s who you intend to spend the rest of your life with. Kate, she was, she was a girlfriend, she wasn’t a mate and I never thought she was, I thought I loved her but, even then, I knew she wasn’t my mate, I didn’t want to be with her forever, she was just a girlfriend, but you, you’re more than that, you’re my mate, it’s a deeper connection, a deeper bond, I feel it, like a physical thing, right here.” He pressed two fingers to Stiles’ chest, to the bottom of his ribcage, and he smiled softly, “It feels like I’d be able to find you anywhere, just by following that feeling, that connection.”

“And claiming each other?” Stiles asked, processing what Derek had already said and smiling to himself, he liked mates, it was a good term, it sounded so much better than just calling Derek his boyfriend, calling him his mate sounded right, it felt right. 

“That’s just, well, it’s a bite, a mating bite, most couples do it during sex, but it doesn’t have to be, it’s just, I’m told that sometimes it can hurt, so, during sex, with the pleasure, nobody really remembers the pain because they’re too hyped up from all the good feelings, but, yeah, it’s, we’d bite each other, put a claim on each other, marking each other as mates, so that anyone else around would know that we were together, but, you’re not a wolf, so you won’t feel the connection in the same way, and, this is so new, being together, I wouldn’t want to push you, and I wouldn’t want to hurt you.” Derek explained. 

“Wait, so, let me get this straight,” Stiles said, snatching up a piece of bacon and chewing on it slowly, “You know for a fact that you want to spend the rest of your life with me because you can feel it and you want us to have the mating bites but you’re afraid of hurting me?” Stiles queries and Derek nodded, “Well, that’s simple then, we just have sex, the pleasure will make sure we don’t notice the pain.” 

“Stiles, no, not yet, I don’t, I don’t want to rush this. I love you. I want to be with you, in every way, but, I know you have had a lot of bad experiences and the last thing I want to do is push you into doing something you’re not ready for.”

“I feel like you haven’t even been listening to me.” Stiles sighed heavily, “Derek, look at me.” Stiles said, gripping Derek’s chin, “First off, yes I’ve had bad experiences, but, I want good experiences and I want them with you. Two, it doesn’t feel like a rush to me, I, Rafael, killing him, it was nearly two years ago, and what he did to me, the last time was seven years ago, I don’t know that I’ll ever get over it, but, the I know he can’t ever hurt me again. I know time won’t heal all wounds, but, it helps, and, I feel different then I did then, having my magic helps, I don’t feel as powerless, I’m not as powerless. I know if I didn’t want something I could stop it, with no hesitation. I’ve been in love with you for a long time Derek, I just didn’t realise that’s what it was, not until we were in the lake, not until you died in front of my eyes. I don’t want to miss a second of being with you.” 

“That doesn’t mean we have to rush into sex…”

“I know, I know that, and, I’m saying this now, but, when we do get to it, I don’t know how I’ll feel, I don’t know how I’ll react, but, I know I love you and I trust you and if there’s anybody I would ever want to do this with, it’d be you.” Stiles replied. “So, I’m not saying we do it right this second, maybe wait until my magic is back and I don’t feel like going to sleep every five minutes, and then we can just give it a go? Take it a minute at a time? And, if we both enjoy it, great, if we don’t, then, we go from there?”

“I don’t want to hurt you…”

“You’ll never hurt me Der, I know you won’t, besides, I’m pretty sure you said you wanted me to fuck you, which means if anyone is at risk of getting hurt, it’s going to be you.” Stiles said, suddenly looking worried. 

“Stiles,” Derek took his hand, pressed a kiss to his fingers, “It won’t hurt, not if we do things properly, take our time, make sure we both enjoy it, I promise you, it doesn’t hurt.” 

“Have you had a lot of experience then?” Stiles queried. 

“Only with myself,” Derek shrugged, “But, you trust me that I’d never hurt you and I trust you, knowing you’d never hurt me, so, don’t worry about it, and, we don’t have to, you’re allowed to change your mind, we’ve got at least a few days before your eyes are back to normal and if you decide you don’t want to, if at any point you want to wait or never do it or anything like that, just say, okay? I won’t be mad, I won’t stop loving you, I won’t yell at you or anything like that, just tell me, agreed?” 

“Yes sir.” Stiles mock saluted and Derek rolled his eyes fondly. 

“I’m serious, please tell me if I ever do anything you aren’t comfortable with?” 

“I promise Der, I promise, and, you know me, I never break my promises.” 

“Good.” Derek kissed his neck sweetly, inhaling his scent once more and then pulled away, “Now, breakfast, you need food.” 

As it turned out it took nearly a fortnight before Stiles’ magic returned, the scent of Stiles and magic had nearly driven Derek mad, he’d taken several breaths trying to get it under control, but, his cock was throbbing with desire and his heart was racing and he couldn’t think straight. Stiles had walked towards him and pulled Derek into a gentle kiss, Derek had gone completely lax against him, letting Stiles do whatever he wanted, submitting to him in a way he had always desired to. 

“You with me?” Stiles asked a few moments later and Derek blinked several times, trying to clear his mind that seemed to be foggy with lust. “Derek?” Stiles asked again, Derek looked around, glad to see that nobody else was around, he couldn’t even remember if there had been anyone else in the room when Stiles’ magic had returned, all he could think about was Stiles, about his scent, god, his fucking scent, he smelled so good, “Derek? Concentrate please?” 

“Sorry.” Derek mumbled, taking a few steadying breaths and clearing his head eventually, “God you smell amazing.” He leaned away from Stiles, trying to stay calm, trying to think about what they had been doing, they’d been in the living room, talking about Stiles’ plans for the next day, he was going to start working at the sheriff’s department as a deputy, along with Sam and Dean, Noah thought having three hunters, trained to deal with supernatural incidents would help solve any crimes that popped up. Derek had said how proud he was of Stiles before explaining that he was putting together a network, reaching out to other supernaturals in the area, wanting to help keep lines of communication open, he had been explaining about how his mom had been putting together something similar but then the fire had happened and she’d not managed to complete it, Derek wanted to continue her work, finish it, Stiles had said it was a great idea, that he’d help however he could, and then his magic had returned and everything went more than a bit fuzzy for a few minutes. At least he knew now that they were alone in this room, that nobody else had witnessed his complete break from sanity. 

“That’s better. You okay?” Stiles asked after a few minutes of silence and Derek nodded. 

“Yeah, sorry about that.” 

“Don’t worry about it.” Stiles shrugged, leaning in and kissing Derek softly, Derek groaned, god, he loved the feel of Stiles’ lips against his own, he didn’t think he’d ever get used to it, didn’t want to ever get used to it, he wanted to feel like every time was their first time, he didn’t ever want Stiles to get bored of him. “I’m not ever going to get bored of you sourwolf, you don’t need to worry about that.”

“I didn’t realise I said that out loud. Sorry.” Derek muttered and Stiles laughed. 

“Wow, that scent really did a number on you, huh?” He asked sounding worried but Derek just smiled. 

“Not really, it’s just, it’s you, but, amplified, it’s how I always feel around you, but, a thousand times stronger.” Derek explained, leaning in and kissing Stiles again. 

“Come on, lets go out and get some fresh air.” Stiles said, grabbing Derek’s hand and pulling him out of the front door and into the preserve. The past few weeks, being together, it had been everything Derek had imagined and more, really, he didn’t care if they never had sex, he was just so happy, he loved being able to pull Stiles to him, or to bury his head in Stiles’ shoulder, he loved being able to talk to Stiles about anything, no matter what popped into his head, and knew Stiles would listen, he loved listening to Stiles talk, he loved sitting next to him on the sofa, or going out for walks in the preserve, honestly, he was so stupidly in love and so happy, he was actually worried that having sex might change things between them, that Stiles wouldn’t want to be with him after sex. 

“So, I’m guessing your magic is all back to normal now then?” Derek asked after they’d been walking for a few minutes and Stiles shrugged, his fingers tensing the slightest bit from where they were intertwined with Derek’s.

“Pretty much, I mean, it’ll still be a few days before I’m back at full power, but, yeah, I’m basically back to normal, or, as normal as I get.” Stiles smiled a little sadly, he looked nervous and Derek was about to ask him what was wrong when Stiles stopped walking and turned to face him, “Der, I’m worried.” 

“About what?” Derek asked, glancing around to see if there were any threats that were going to jump out at them, Stiles just rolled his eyes and gripped Derek’s jaw, forcing him to look into his eyes. 

“About us.” 

“Us? Why? What did I do? I’ll fix it.” Derek said feeling like a hole had just been punched clear through his chest. 

“No, no, you haven’t done anything, I mean, my magic is back now, and, we said we’d wait, which is fine, and, I’m still, I’d still like to, but, I’m worried, maybe it’s just nerves or whatever, but, like, the past few weeks, they’ve been amazing, like, a million times better than I ever dreamed they could be, you, you’re amazing and perfect and you make me feel like I’m the luckiest person in the whole universe and I’m scared that if we have sex, that I’ll disappoint you, that things will change, that we won’t be as happy as we are right now, I know that’s ridiculous, I know I can’t say, lets not have sex because I’m scared of being bad at it and you ending up hating me, but, you said, to tell you, if I felt uncertain or anything like that, and god, this is all coming out wrong, I mean, obviously I want to have sex with you, I’d have to be insane not to, but, I’m afraid I’m going to hurt you or that I’m going to be crap at it and you won’t be interested afterwards and god, I’m sorry…” Stiles rambled, trailing off and glaring at the ground in disgust. 

“Stiles,” Derek whispered, leaning in close and forcing Stiles to meet his gaze, “I’m nervous too.” He confessed and Stiles looked at him in surprise, “This is a big thing, it’s not something we need to rush into if you’re not ready, I’ll love you no matter what, and, I get what you mean, I’m happier now that I ever thought I could be, and I’m scared of that changing too. I think being nervous is good, it means we really love each other and that we don’t want to hurt each other, everyone is nervous their first time…”

“This isn’t my first time.” Stiles interrupted. 

“I think you’ll find, you’re a born-again virgin if I remember rightly, so, actually, yeah it is.” Derek teased and Stiles laughed, “But, I was going to say, everyone is nervous their first time with a new partner. If the only reason you are nervous is because you are worried about letting me down then I’m going to tell you that you’re being ridiculous, you could never let me down, I’d be happy just sleeping in the same bed as you for the rest of my life, and, if you’re worried about things changing, well, I am too, but, I know no matter what I’m not going to stop loving you, in fact, I’m sort of hoping things just keep getting better, although I’m a little worried the pack already think I’ve gone insane, Isaac told me that seeing me smile so much is freaking him out.” Derek confided and Stiles laughed, looking a little teary-eyed but he was beaming at Derek proudly. “My point is, Stiles, I love you, and I’m going to love you until the day I die, and even after that, because we all know what happens when we did, and if I end up in purgatory, or Heaven or Hell, wherever, it doesn’t matter, I will never stop loving you, I’m pretty certain that I can only fall more in love with you, because every second I spend with you, it makes my heart feel like it’s going to beat out of my chest and my stomach is full of butterflies and when you smile, god, when you smile I genuinely think my heart skips a beat...” Derek explained, his words cut off when Stiles leaned forward, wrapping his arms around his neck and pulling Derek into a kiss. 

“I love you too Der.” Stiles whispered in between kisses, in the few seconds when they pulled apart to catch their breath before diving back in for more, their mouths moving together in perfect harmony, their tongues colliding hungrily, Stiles’ hands slid down his back and cupped his ass gently, pulling him closer, while Derek’s hands rested on Stiles’ lower back, holding him in place, using Stiles’ presence to keep himself grounded because holy fuck, kissing Stiles made him lose his mind. They were both hard within moments, both aroused by the feel of their hands on each other, of their mouths, their tongues, Stiles broke the kiss this time, pulling away to catch his breath before he grabbed Derek’s hand, “Come on, lets go back to the house?” Stiles said confidently, intertwining their fingers and smiling happily when Derek walked next to him, both of them gripping tight to the others hand. 

Nobody seemed to be in the house when they arrived back, not that they actually looked that hard, instead they went straight up to Derek’s room, shutting the door behind them before Stiles pulled him into another kiss. Derek moaned with pleasure, wrapping his hands around Stiles’ waist and pulling him close, feeling the evidence of Stiles’ arousal pressing hard into his leg, Stiles took a step forward, pushing Derek back towards the bed, until the backs of his knees hit the bed and they both fell onto it. 

Stiles tugged at Derek’s t-shirt, pulling it off over his head easily, grinning brightly when Derek grabbed at his shirt and pulled it off too, Derek traced his fingers over Stiles’ tattoos, over his scars, as if he was trying to memorise each one, Stiles just grinned happily at him, pulling him into another kiss that left them both panting for breath. 

Derek made sure that Stiles was comfortable at every moment, checking with him before they removed the rest of their clothes, as they fell into the bed, tangling the sheets around themselves as they ground naked against each other. Stiles loved that Derek was willing to be so patient with him, loved that he asked if Stiles was okay before they went any further, it put him at ease in a way he never had been before, it made him feel so loved, so safe, that he felt like he could burst into tears of joy.

“I’ve, um, I’ve got lube if you want?” Derek asked a few minutes later from where he was lay under Stiles and Stiles nodded eagerly, watching as Derek reached into his bedside table and pulled out a small bottle of lube. “You’re sure?” 

“Yeah Der, I am, I promise.” Stiles said, kissing him again, “Now, would you like me to fuck you? Or would you prefer to fuck me?” He asked and Derek groaned, his eyes practically rolling backwards into his head at the very thought of getting to fuck Stiles. 

“No, no, you fuck me this time.” He panted in reply, because, yes, he would love to fuck Stiles, he would love to take his time and open him up slowly and get him to beg for Derek’s cock, but, right now, what he wanted more than anything in the whole world, was to feel Stiles inside him, he wanted to submit to his mate, he wanted to let Stiles do whatever he wanted so long as he let Derek cum. Stiles smiled happily, placing a peck at the corner of Derek’s mouth before taking the lube off him and squeezing a bit into his hand, looking slightly nervous before he reached down and stroked Derek’s cock, wrapping a hand around him and moving slowly up and down the shaft. Derek groaned with pleasure, digging his claws into the mattress and biting his lip to stop himself from cumming the second Stiles’ hand touched his cock. 

“I’m going to finger you, okay?” Stiles asked nervously and Derek nodded, not wanting to close his eyes for fear of missing a single moment, watching as Stiles squirted a bit more lube onto his fingers and then without moving his hand from Derek’s cock, used his other hand to slowly start massaging Derek’s hole. 

“Fuck.” Derek groaned and Stiles stilled. 

“Did I hurt you?” He whispered. 

“No, no, just, fuck, that feels so good.” Derek moaned with pleasure and Stiles smiled happily, returning to his ministrations, “Jesus, god, fuck, Stiles, I’m going to cum, if you don’t stop I’m going to cum.” He confessed, his body already beginning to tense with his oncoming orgasm, Stiles stilled for a moment and Derek tried to get himself under control, except then Stiles ducked down suddenly, licking from the base to the tip of his shaft before taking Derek’s cock in his mouth. Derek’s orgasm overwhelmed him, catching him by surprise, “Stiles! Fuck, Stiles!” Derek panted, trembling through his orgasm before he opened his eyes, not aware of the moment he closed them and saw Stiles smirking up at him. 

“Was that okay?” He asked and Derek nodded dumbly, still trying to remember how to breathe, “Good, okay, lets carry on, if you want?” Stiles said, his fingers still teasing the edge of Derek’s hole. 

“Yes, god, yes please.” Derek replied, his cock already trying to twitch back to life, Derek’s mind was racing, he wasn’t sure he was going to be able to survive the pleasure of having Stiles inside him, especially if what he was doing with his fingers was any indication. 

Stiles spent a long time just massaging Derek’s hole before he slowly inched a finger inside him, he was terrified of hurting Derek so he was cautious, perhaps overly so, but, Derek didn’t complain, he was enjoying it, god, he was enjoying it so fucking much, he wanted more, god, he wanted so much more, he was already hard again, already dripping with precum before Stiles shifted his body, looking at Derek with a bit of apprehension. 

“Please, Stiles, please.” Derek pleaded, needing Stiles inside him, right now, before he lost his mind. “Please, I need you, please.” He begged.

“You’re sure?” Stiles whispered with awe and Derek nodded feverishly, “And you’ll tell me if I hurt you?” 

“Yes, god, please Stiles, I’ll tell you, please, please, god, fuck, Stiles, please.” Derek said, trying to stay rational but, god, whatever Stiles was doing with his fingers was driving him insane and he needed to cum, god, he needed to cum. Stiles smirked at him, knowing exactly what effect he was having on Derek right know, he grabbed the lube again, stroking his cock a few times, not wanting to do too much because he was already so close, seeing Derek so pliant and begging for him to carry on, god, it was driving him crazy, the only reason he hadn’t already cum was because he hadn’t been touching himself, he knew the moment he did he wouldn’t be able to stop his orgasm. 

He shifted forward, positioning himself in between Derek’s legs and kissing him gently, he wanted to take his time, wanted to make sure Derek enjoyed this as much as he was. He eased his cock forward slowly, his eyes on Derek’s, making sure he’d be aware the instant Derek was uncomfortable, he’d never had sex like this before, it was more intimate than anything he’d ever experienced, he’d just been a hole for Rafael, something to be used, but this, with Derek, it was incredible, it was amazing, and he felt so loved, so incredibly loved. He bottomed out eventually and Derek seemed to hold his breath for a moment before he relaxed, nodding at Stiles that it was okay. 

“You’re sure? I’m not hurting you?” Stiles asked nervously. 

“No, Stiles, god, no, it feels good, god it feels good, what about you? You’re okay?” Derek replied. 

“I’m fine.” Stiles huffed out a laugh and Derek groaned at the sensation, “It feels good,” He said, trying his best to relax, to hold off his orgasm for just a little longer, “It feels really fucking good.” Stiles panted. 

“God, Stiles, I need, I need you to move, please, move.” Derek whispered, pulling Stiles into a kiss, Stiles thrust his hips experimentally and both of them groaned with pleasure at the feeling, “God, yes, please, please, fuck, Stiles.” Derek whimpered, he’d never thought it would feel this good, he couldn’t have ever imagined it would feel this good, Stiles thrust again and Derek cried out with pleasure, wrapping his legs around Stiles’ and pulling him closer, his claws digging into the bed and his back arching as Stiles continued thrusting into him. 

“Derek, Der, Jesus, fuck, oh god,” Stiles panted, he was so close, so close, it felt so good, Derek felt so good, so hot, so tight, he didn’t think, he never imagined, god, this felt incredible. 

“Stiles, oh my god, oh god, Stiles, fuck, please, fuck, I’m going to, oh god…” Derek moaned, he was so hard, he was so close, every time Stiles thrust forward it felt like Derek’s vision whited out, he was so close, god, so close, he just needed, he just wanted, he needed more, “God, please, don’t stop, fuck, don’t stop.” Derek groaned, his orgasm building, his muscles tensing, “Stiles, oh god, oh my god, Stiles, please, I’m going to, fuck.” Stiles thrust again and he must have hit a certain spot because it sent Derek spiralling over the edge, his orgasm ripping through him with such force that it took his breath away and then he felt Stiles’ cock twitch and suddenly he was crying out Derek’s name, thrusting his hips forward one last time and cumming so hard that Derek was sure he could feel it. 

Stiles collapsed on top of him a minute later, letting out a huff of laughter and still trying to catch his breath, Derek trailed his fingers lazily through Stiles’ hair, his brain still trying to catch up with what had just happened because, god, that was fucking incredible. 

“Well, that went better than I expected.” Stiles muttered into his shoulder and Derek barked out a laugh. 

“Yeah, yeah it did.” He said, kissing Stiles’ forehead sweetly. 

“We’re doing that again, like, all the time, I hope you’re aware of that.” 

“I’m okay with that.” Derek replied, whining with loss when Stiles pulled out and grabbed a towel to clean himself up a bit before he moved back to Derek and helped him to clean up. “Stiles, I love you.” 

“I love you too Der.” Stiles grinned, cuddling up into Derek’s shoulder and feeling so happy, so content, that he felt like he was going to explode.

Stiles woke to sunlight streaming in through the bedroom window, he blinked blearily, feeling Derek’s chest rising and falling steadily underneath him from where his head rested against him, he closed his eyes again and listened to steady beating of Derek’s heart, allowing it to lull him back to sleep. 

Derek woke slowly, he ached in all the right places, he inhaled, his nose filling with Stiles’ scent before he even opened his eyes, he grinned brightly, opening his eyes and seeing Stiles’ head resting on his chest, Stiles was fast asleep, looking so peaceful, Derek didn’t want to wake him, wanted to let him sleep just so he could watch him, god, Stiles was beautiful and perfect and his, and they’d make it official with the mating bite, just, not yet, he’d not wanted to do it their first time, wanted to make sure Stiles was okay with everything before they cemented their bond, after all, so many people had already left their marks on Stiles without his permission, the last thing Derek wanted to do was become one of them. He wanted to make sure Stiles was certain before and, well, after last night, Derek knew he was certain, he just hoped Stiles felt the same. 

“Morning.” Stiles muttered, Derek blinked in surprise, he’d been so lost in his own thoughts, he hadn’t noticed Stiles waking up. 

“Hey.” Derek smiled, grinning at Stiles happily, “How are you feeling?” He asked. 

“Pretty amazing.” Stiles replied, “You? Are you okay? You’re not hurt?” He said, obviously worried.

“No, I’m good, incredible actually.” He smiled, “That was perfect, you’re perfect, sorry, that sounded creepy, just, god, I love you.” Stiles laughed happily in reply.

“I love you too, and, I thought it was perfect too.” He smiled, kissing Derek on the cheek, “It was perfect Der, thank you, thank you for making it so perfect for me, for both of us.” 

“Hey, you made it perfect too, it wouldn’t have been any good without you.” Derek smiled. 

“Same goes for you too big guy.” Stiles teased, Derek laughed and rolled them over so that he was lying on top of Stiles, he leaned down, kissing Stiles sweetly, wrapping his arms around him and holding him close, inhaling his scent, “I love you.” Stiles laughed and Derek beamed with joy. 

“I love you too, I don’t think I’m ever going to get tired of saying that.” 

“Me neither.” Stiles replied, “I could think of something else that I’m pretty sure I’m never going to get tired of.” He remarked and Derek smirked. 

“Oh really? Is that so?” Derek said, leaning down to kiss him again and stilling when Stiles’ stomach rumbled hungrily, “Never get tired huh?” He remarked and Stiles swatted his shoulder. 

“That’s hunger not tiredness.” Stiles replied. 

“Same thing. Come on, we should get you some breakfast.” Sitting up and climbing out of the bed, pulling Stiles up with him. 

“Food can wait.” 

“Until after sex?” Derek grinned. 

“Yeah, definitely.” 

“Nope. Come on. I’m not having you starving to death.” Derek said, grabbing Stiles’ hand and pulling him to his feet. 

When they got down to the kitchen most of the pack was already there, eating their breakfast or preparing to go to college or work, Sam and Dean were already dressed in their deputy’s uniforms and Stiles grinned at them happily. 

“Yours is in the other room.” Noah commented and Stiles nodded gratefully. 

“Thanks dad.” He was a little nervous, but, after last night, he’d learned nerves could lead to some of the best things. He took Derek’s hand in his, giving him a quick squeeze before he moved to the cupboard and poured himself a bowl of cereal, he felt like he was glowing, he was so happy, he wasn’t sure he’d ever felt this happy before in his life. 

“Well, somebody had an exciting night.” Dean commented and Stiles shrugged, glancing at Cas who appeared in the kitchen behind Dean. 

“It was pretty exciting yeah.” Stiles smiled, looking at Derek from under his eyelashes and Derek grinned, not caring about the way everyone rolled their eyes fondly at the pair of them. “So, what’s the word Cas? Anything exciting going on in Angel world?” 

“Actually, yes, I could do with your help, I know it’s your first day at your new job and all that, but, I need some magic on my side, specifically magic that can help me not get killed.” Cas muttered. 

“Get killed? Cas, what’s going on?” Dean said sounding panicked. 

“Nothing huge.” Cas said and Dean glanced to Derek. 

“Lying.” Derek muttered and Dean crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at Cas. 

“Want to tell me what’s really going on?” Dean said and Cas flushed in embarrassment. 

“I didn’t want you to worry…” 

“Well now I’m worried.” Dean growled. “And why do you need Stiles? What can he do that we can’t?” 

“Magic.” Stiles said sarcastically and Dean and Sam both rolled their eyes while Stiles just smirked at them. 

“So, what’s going on Cas?” Sam asked. 

“Angels, several of them, they’ve heard about Stiles, they’re planning to kidnap him, use him to defeat the other faction.” Cas confessed, “I thought if we took the fight to them, they’d be surprised, we could get the jump on them.” 

“You want to take Stiles to the angels that are planning to kidnap him?” Derek growled, moving to stand protectively next to Stiles. 

“Dude, chill out, it makes sense, the surprise attack.” 

“No way in hell are you going by yourselves to take on several angels, we’re coming with you.” Dean snapped in annoyance. 

“Look, lets all just take a breather, they’re not going to attack today, are they?” Stiles asked Cas.

“No, they don’t know your exact location yet, just that a mage exists and that you defeated Crowley and took the throne of Hell.” 

“Right, so, they’re way behind the times, they don’t have my name?” 

“No.” 

“Okay, we’ve got plenty of time then. Lets just work out a proper plan that doesn’t involve running off and most likely getting ourselves killed.”

“I love it when you’re sensible.” Derek muttered and Stiles grinned at him. 

“I happen to be sensible once in a while.” Stiles replied. “Okay, so, dad, I’m not going to make it to work today, sorry.”

“Angel kidnappings trump deputy duties anytime.” Noah commented and Stiles smiled at him a little sadly. “We’ll call this an open case for the three of you, sound fair?” 

“Sounds perfect.” Sam agreed. 

They spent the rest of the day coming up with a better plan, Stiles could think of much better things to be doing, now that he knew how great sex could be, he kind of wanted to do it again, repeatedly, except whenever he even thought about it, Derek seemed to realise instantly and would find another issue with whatever their current plan was, distracting Stiles away from thoughts of sex and back into the real world. 

By the time his dad arrived home along with the rest of the pack, Sam, Dean, Cas, Derek, Peter and Stiles had all agreed on a plan, it would work, Stiles was confident of that, Derek wasn’t overly happy because it meant Stiles being in danger, but, they’d all be there to have his back the instant the angels appeared so, he wasn’t worried. 

“Just relax Der, it’s going to be fine.” 

“I’ll relax once it’s over and you’re safe.” Derek mumbled. 

“I’ll be fine, come on, lets go to bed, we need to get some sleep if we want to be at our best tomorrow.” Stiles said and Derek nodded, taking his hand and leading him up to the bedroom. Stiles stripped down to his boxers and a long sleeved t-shirt and Derek moved across to him, pulling on the hem of the t-shirt in curiosity. 

“Why do you wear this?” He asked and Stiles shrugged. 

“It hides the tattoos? And the scars and stuff? I don’t want to gross you out or anything.” Stiles admitted and Derek shook his head fondly. 

“Stiles, you could never ‘gross me out’, you’re gorgeous, with or without clothes.” 

“Is this your way of trying to get me naked?” Stiles teased. 

“No, although that’s an added benefit,” Derek replied, “I just don’t think you should be bothered about your tattoos or your scars, you are breath-taking, you’re wonderful, you don’t need to be worried about anything, I thought you realised that when everyone was checking you out the other day?” Sties stared at him in shock, he wasn’t attractive, he knew that, for a fact, he was just, pale and covered in moles and scars and tattoos, there really wasn’t anything attractive about him. 

“Der, just because you’re blinded by your love for me and the pack, well, they’re just weird anyway, we already knew that, I mean, I just, I’m not, I’m not attractive, not really, I’m not saying that just so you compliment me or whatever, but I just, I don’t see myself like that, at all.” Stiles explained and Derek rolled his eyes. 

“You might not see it, but you are, and I’m going to keep telling you until you realise it yourself, you have absolutely nothing to be ashamed off, although, if you walk around with your clothes off all the time I’m going to have serious issues keeping my hands to myself.” He said and Stiles grinned. 

“Well I wish you got that easily distracted earlier, every time I even thought about sex you picked another hole in the plan.” 

“That’s because I could smell your arousal and if it got any stronger I wasn’t going to be able to stop myself from dragging you up here.” Derek replied and Stiles blushed. 

“Well, that’s good to know.” Stiles smiled, pulling his t-shirt off quickly, “So, now you’ve got me in your room?” 

“Our room.” Derek amended and Stiles grinned. 

“Right, our room.” He paused, obviously thinking, “Der, I know we said we’d wait, but, I’m not going to change my mind about you, and, I’m pretty sure you’re not going to change your mind about me…”

“Not in a million years.” Derek said and Stiles smiled.

“So, what about if we did the mating bite? I mean, I want to be your mate, I’m ready to be your mate, and I want the whole world to know too, so, you know, how would you feel about that?” Stiles said nervously, surprised when he looked up to see Derek’s red eyes glowing back at him. 

“I’d love that.” Derek grinned, trying to keep himself composed when what he really wanted to do was dance around the room, howl to the moon and make sure everyone knew how perfect Stiles was. 

“Okay, that’s good then.” Stiles said happily, “There’s one other thing…”

“Anything.” 

“Don’t say anything, listen first, then tell me if you’re happy with it, if you’re not, that’s okay too.” Stiles said and Derek nodded solemnly, showing Stiles he was listening, “How would you feel about, well, if we, if I, um, about you fucking me?” Stiles said uncertainly and Derek stilled, he wanted to, god he wanted to so badly, he just didn’t wat to rush Stiles, before he could even open his mouth Stiles held up a hand to stop him, “You’re not rushing me, you’re not pressuring me, I trust you, I love you, and, I want to do this, I’d like to do this, with you, but if you don’t want to, that’s okay too, I just, I’d like to give it a go, if you do?” 

Derek responded by surging forward, wrapping his hand around the back of Stiles’ neck and pulling him into a deep kiss. 

“Yes, yes, of course, yes.” Derek said, placing his other hand on Stiles’ lower back and pulling him flush against him. “Yes, Stiles, yes, I really want to, but, you have to promise me, if you feel uncomfortable, at any point, you tell me, you don’t try and like, push through, or whatever, okay?” 

“Sure.” Stiles agreed, he was nervous, but he was also excited, he meant it, he trusted Derek, and he wanted to do this, he wanted to feel how good sex could be with someone he loved. He backed up towards the bed, pulling Derek with him, until he could feel the mattress behind him and he broke from the kiss so that he could pull Derek’s shirt over his head. 

Derek was so hard already it was ridiculous, just the thought of Stiles trusting him with this made his cock throb with want, he’d never felt so loved, so important, so special. He undressed Stiles slowly, reverently, wanting to take his time with this, wanting to make love to him, he kissed his way from Stiles’ mouth across his jaw, his neck, down his chest, leaving small marks from where he’d sucked just a little too hard on the skin but Stiles had gasped with pleasure and arched up towards Derek’s mouth and Derek had decided he’d do anything to hear those sounds again.

He moved his lips downwards, licking slowly along Stiles’ thighs and then to his cock, pressing his lips softly against his balls and grinning when Stiles shuddered with pleasure, chanting Derek’s name over and over, whispering about how good it felt, encouraging Derek to keep going. He pulled out the lube, glancing at Stiles to check he was still okay with this, Stiles nodded his agreement, feeling nervous but he trusted Derek, he trusted him and he was enjoying himself, which he knew Derek knew too. 

Derek started by massaging his hole slowly, taking his time, making sure Stiles was completely ready before he slowly inserted one finger, Stiles tensed slightly and Derek stilled, waiting patiently until Stiles relaxed, stroking his cock at the same time, Stiles gasped and begged Derek to move. Derek smiled, taking his time, Stiles gasping out his name as he relaxed, as the pleasure began to build inside him. 

“Der, please, god, please.” Stiles begged what felt like hours later, Derek had taken his time, making sure that Stiles was completely and utterly relaxed before he took things any further, as it was, Stiles looked blissed out and Derek could smell the enjoyment, arousal, desire and want flooding off him, Derek was so aroused by the scent alone that he was already dripping with precum, he was so turned on, so horny, he wanted to slide into Stiles’ tight hole, he wanted to thrust hard into him and make Stiles cum so hard that he couldn’t see straight, but, Derek wasn’t going to rush, he was going to take his time, he was going to make sure Stiles enjoyed himself, make sure that he never had any reason to worry about sex again. “Please, Der, please, I need you, please.” 

Derek couldn’t wait any longer, he had to know Stiles was okay with this, but, god, he was so desperate, if he didn’t do something soon he was going to lose control completely.

“Stiles, please, can I, are you ready? Are you sure?” He whispered and Stiles nodded vigorously. 

“Yes, yeah, I’m ready, I want to, I want you to, please Derek, please.” Stiles begged and Derek shifted, sliding up Stiles’ body, kissing him sweetly, tenderly, as he began to inch his way inside Stiles, Stiles gasped against his lips, adjusting to Derek’s size a little at a time, tensing and then forcing himself to relax. “It’s okay, I’m okay, keep going, please.” Stiles muttered when Derek stilled inside him, “Please Der, please, I want you to, please.” 

“You promise, if it hurts you, you tell me.” Derek grunted, doing his best not to thrust in deeply like he wanted to. 

“I will, I swear, Derek, just, please.” Stiles pleaded and Derek moved forwards just a little more, inching his way in slowly, resting his arms near Stiles’ shoulders, brushing his hair slightly away from where sweat had formed on his hairline, their lips brushing as Stiles gasped with pleasure and Derek continued pushing forward until, eventually, he bottomed out. “Fuck” He muttered, gritting his teeth as he tried to adjust to Derek’s size, it didn’t hurt, not like he knew it could, it was more like a slightly uncomfortable sting, Derek rested a hand on his arm and the sting instantly disappeared, all that was left was pleasure and Stiles grinned, shaking his head fondly at Derek’s arm where black lines were running up it. “You didn’t have to do that.” 

“I know, but I wanted to, I want you to enjoy this.” Derek replied. 

“I’m already enjoying it, are you?” 

“More than you can possibly imagine.” Derek muttered and Stiles laughed, the movement causing both of them to groan with pleasure. 

“Good, okay, now, I want you to move.” Stiles said and Derek glanced at him nervously, “I’m okay, come on Der, please, move, just a little.” Derek complied, pulling back just the slightest bit before thrusting forwards again, both of them moaning at how good it felt, “God, again, please.” Stiles muttered and Derek pulled out a little further before thrusting back in again, his wolf howling with triumph when Stiles groaned his name, fingers digging into his back and wrapping his legs around Derek’s ass, pulling him closer. 

“Fuck Stiles.” Derek moaned, his eyes flashing red at the sight of Stiles underneath him, their bodies shining with sweat, both of them groaning with pleasure as Derek continued to thrust into him, gradually increasing his pace when Stiles told him to, god, it felt so good, so fucking good. “Stiles, shit, I want, can I, can we…still…bite?” He panted, feeling his orgasm building, he was so close, he wasn’t sure he was going to be able to hold it off much longer. 

“Yes, god, yes, please.” Stiles replied, groaning as Derek thrust again and hit just the right spot, god, he was going to cum, “Fuck, Der, fuck, oh god, yes, please, please.” Stiles begged, tilting his neck to bare his throat, Derek groaned, leaning down and placing his teeth against the soft skin of Stiles’ neck. 

“Please Stiles.” He muttered, felt Stiles’ teeth press against the skin of his own neck, it sent a pulse of desire through him, he thrust again and Stiles bit down slightly, groaning with pleasure.

“Fuck, Der, I’m going to, Jesus, I’m going to…” Stiles started, trailing off when Derek thrust again, Stiles’ orgasm started to build, he was only seconds away, he was spiralling, he was so close, god, so close, Derek kept thrusting and just when Stiles was sure he couldn’t take any more, that he was going to explode with pleasure, Derek bit down on his skin and Stiles let out a cry of pleasure, biting down on Derek’s neck to try and muffle it slightly, Derek felt Stiles’ teeth dig into his skin, felt his muscles clench around his cock as his orgasm surged through him and it was enough to send Derek falling over the edge, howling out with pleasure as he came. 

They lay there for a while afterwards, Derek running his fingers through Stiles’ hair as they both tried to catch their breath, smiling happily, Stiles reached up and traced his fingers over the bite on Derek’s neck, humming in contentment, grinning when Derek did he same to the bite on Stiles’ neck. 

“So, we’re official now? You’re my mate and I’m yours?” Stiles asked several minutes later and Derek nodded, resting his head in the crook of Stiles’ shoulder and inhaling his scent. “That’s good then, I mean, I’m happy, are you happy?”

“I’m really happy Stiles.” Derek grinned before his eyes locked on to Stiles’, “And you’re okay? I didn’t hurt you?” 

“No, no, I’m good, great even.” He replied smiling, “Derek, I’m awesome, okay, that was awesome, like, yeah, I didn’t know, I didn’t think it could get that good, like, I was worried, I’m not going to lie, not that you would hurt me, but just that I wouldn’t enjoy it, that it’d just bring back bad memories, but, it didn’t, I enjoyed myself Derek, a lot, like, seriously, loads.” Stiles grinned and Derek felt his heart swell with love, kissing him gently on the cheek. 

“Good, I did too.” 

“So, you’d do it again?” Stiles asked nervously. 

“Of course I would, if you wanted me to, I mean, I’m just as happy with you being on top, or just having cuddles or whatever, I’m just happy that I get to be with you, that you want to be with me.” Derek replied and Stiles smiled fondly.

“You big softie! I knew you were a romantic under all the growling and shoving me around and stuff.” He teased and Derek rolled his eyes before he pulled Stiles into his side, wrapping an arm around his waist and snuggled closer, closing his eyes and going to sleep. 

Stiles woke up to find the bed next to him empty, he paused, looking around the room for Derek and then stilling in surprise, he could feel something, like a tendril that tethered him to Derek, he knew Derek was in the kitchen downstairs, he had no idea how he knew, but he knew. He threw on a t-shirt and a pair of sweats and headed downstairs, surprised to see Derek standing over the stove, his back to Stiles, he obviously hadn’t realised he was here yet, he moved closer, wrapping his hands around Derek’s waist and pressing a kiss to the back of his neck. 

“What are you doing?” Stiles asked conversationally and Derek shrugged.

“I was going to make you breakfast in bed but obviously that’s not going to work now.” Derek replied, humming happily as he inhaled Stiles’ scent. 

“I can still eat it down here.” He said, resting his head against the back of Derek’s neck, “Hey, just out of interest, did you like, feel anything weird this morning?” 

“Weird like what?” Derek asked, turning away from the stove to look at Stiles and Stiles laughed, darting forward to grab the spoon, continuing to mix the scrambled eggs.

“You can’t take your eyes off the food, it’ll burn otherwise.” Stiles teased and Derek wrapped his arms around Stiles this time, pressing a kiss to his neck and inhaling his scent greedily. 

“Weird like what Stiles?” He repeated and Stiles shrugged.

“I don’t know, I woke up and you weren’t there, and, I looked for you, and, I don’t know, I felt this kind of connection in my chest, and I knew you were in the kitchen, before I even got out of the bed.” Stiles explained and Derek smiled into his shoulder.

“Yeah, I felt that too, I came down here and I could feel that you were still sleeping upstairs, that you were okay, happy. I guess it’s something to do with the bond, I mean, I’m not one hundred percent sure how it all works, but, as mates, there are certain advantages, like, knowing if the other is in danger and so on, I didn’t know that it would feel like this, I mean, I only remember mom and dad mentioning it a few times and I never really bothered paying that much attention, I never figured it would happen to me.” Derek explained and Stiles gave him a peck on the lips.

“Well, luckily, you have the king of research as a mate, so we’ll figure it out together.” Stiles smiled happily. 

The rest of the pack began to fill the kitchen in twos and threes, until, eventually everyone was there, looking at Stiles and Derek, evidently happy for both of them, they just hoped that everything went to plan with the angels today, they really didn’t want anything to happen to Stiles, they couldn’t bare losing him again and they had no idea how Derek would cope if Stiles died. 

“So, you’re ready for today?” Dean asked, looking at Stiles with worry. 

“Yeah, don’t worry, I’ve got this.” Stiles grinned. 

“Just stick to the plan.” Sam said and Stiles nodded.

“I know, I know, don’t worry, it’s going to be fine.” Stiles said, “It’s simple, lure them into a false sense of security and then we kill them. Not complicated.” 

“Okay, cool, we’ll head out after breakfast, get all the sigils drawn up, and then we can get this over with.” Dean agreed.

They ran through the plan several more times throughout the morning as they set the trap up in the preserve, Stiles was rolling his eyes by the time it was time to execute it.

“Dude, we’ve been through this eleven times now! I know how we’re going to do this, we’ve planned for every eventuality. We’ve got this, now just chill.” Stiles said when Dean was pacing in agitation nearby, Derek was standing at the edge of the clearing, arms folded across his chest, his jaw clenched tightly, it was obvious he wasn’t happy about it. 

“You promise you’ll be careful?” Derek asked. 

“I swear I will.” Stiles replied, pressing a kiss to Derek’s lips. 

“You too?” Dean asked and Cas nodded solemnly in reply. 

“Of course.” Cas agreed, smiling in surprise when Dean pulled him into a kiss. “I would say I’ll protect him, but, he’s more than capable of protecting himself.” Cas said to Derek and Stiles grinned happily. 

“See, at least Cas knows not to underestimate me.” Stiles smirked and Derek shook his head fondly. 

“I love you.” Derek muttered and Stiles smiled.

“I love you too.” Stiles replied, “Now, get out of here, so we can get on with this already.” He teased. 

Stiles didn’t know what everyone was so worried about, the plan was almost certainly fool-proof. Cas was going to call out to the angels that he had the mage and wanted to discuss a trade, the angels would arrive, seeing Stiles gagged and tied at Cas’ side, Cas would keep them talking while Dean and Sam added the last few markings to the sigils that would not only stop them from being able to fly away, but would stop them from being able to use their powers. The pack would step into the clearing, equipped with angel killing blades that Cas had provided, Stiles would take off the ropes and use his magic to hold the angels in place and then they could trust Cas’ judgement, either kill them or let them leave, he knew the angels, they were his brothers and sisters, if he thought they could be talked into leaving and never coming back, then they’d accept that, if not, Stiles and the pack would kill them. It was simple. 

For once Stiles was right and he was extremely grateful for it, he knew everyone else was too, but, he was kind of convinced that if things had gone wrong he would never live it down. As it was the plan had gone exactly as they’d hoped, with twelve angels arriving in the attempt to get Stiles, Cas suggested a trade, Dean and Sam finished the sigils, the pack stepped into the clearing and Stiles pulled free of the ropes and used his magic to hold them in place, it had gone perfectly. 

“Alright, so, what do you think?” Stiles said to Cas who was studying the angels carefully. 

“We want to let you live.” Cas said to the angels at large, “If you promise to leave the mage alone, to never threaten him, never try and hurt him, never even think of him again, then we will let you live. Do you swear that this mage will never be of any interest you again?” There were several mumbles of agreement but Derek growled and pointed to one of the females near the back. 

“She’s lying.” He snarled. 

“So what if I am? What’s it to you dog?” She replied angrily. “You brought these mutts into matters of Heaven?” She said to Cas in disgust. 

“No, he didn’t. I did.” Stiles said taking a step towards her, “And since you were planning on kidnapping me, I think it’s kind of fair that I bring in people who want to protect me, especially since that particular wolf is my mate. That he would be able to find me anywhere in the world and will bring the full force of his pack and the Winchesters with him. So, yeah, they’re involved.” Stiles smiled ferally, allowing some of his magic to filter into his hand, his fingers glowing red with power, “Now, the big question is what to do with you? I mean, I don’t want to kill you, not unnecessarily, but, if you think that coming after me or any of my family is a good idea, well, I need to make sure you stop thinking that, pretty damn quickly.” He threatened and the angel just glared at him. 

“What about the others? Were any of them lying?” Lydia asked. 

“I’m not sure. Can we get them to agree one-by-one?” Derek asked and Cas nodded, moving from angel to angel, asking them if they promised to leave Stiles and the pack alone, to forget he ever existed, until, eventually they’d all sworn that they would never return. 

“Just you then.” Stiles smirked, twitching his fingers slightly intimidatingly, “You want to change your mind? I swear to you, if you say you’ll leave and never return, never even think of me again, I’ll let you. If you don’t, well, I guess we’ll have to make an example of you.” 

“You pathetic, weak, little human! You think you can threaten me!? You have no idea of the power I possess! You think I would ever be afraid of you!?” She shouted in anger and Stiles grinned in response. 

“You say that you’re powerful, but, it’s my power that’s holding you in place right now, it doesn’t really matter how powerful you are, I’m stronger than you. I think you’ve just got a grudge because this pathetic, weak, little human could snap your neck with a simple click of my fingers. So, last chance, swear that you’ll leave and forget all about us, or I’ll kill you now.” He warned. 

“You’re only more powerful right now because you’ve blocked access to our powers. If I was at full power I’d squish you like a bug.” She snarled. 

“Except, one, you’re not, and two, if I was so weak, why were you planning on kidnapping me in the first place? Because you wanted to use my power to defeat the other factions, so, excuse me if I don’t believe a word you say, now, last chance. Will you leave or do I have to kill you?” Stiles asked. 

“I’ll never betray the cause.” She replied and Stiles sighed heavily, looking to Cas who shook his head in disappointment.

“If that is the way you feel then we cannot allow you to live.” He said, taking a blade from Dean and marching forwards, “I am sorry sister.” He muttered before plunging it into her chest. 

Stiles released the rest of the angels from his magic and they ran in the opposite direction, away from the pack, until they escaped from the sigils and flew away. Stiles felt bad about the dead angel at their feet, but, he’d given her plenty of opportunities to change her mind, Cas rested a hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile and Stiles smiled in reply, pulling the angel into a hug for a brief moment before Dean was there, hugging Cas and holding him tightly. 

“You’re okay?” Derek asked and Stiles smiled fondly. 

“I’m fine Der, are you?” 

“Yeah.” He replied before pulling Stiles into a kiss, “God, can we please not have you risking your life again any time soon?” He asked when they broke apart and Stiles laughed brightly. 

“I’ll definitely try my best.” Stiles answered honestly. 

“Enough excitement for the day, come on, lets go home.” Dean said, putting an arm around Cas’ shoulders and pulling him close, the rest of the pack following after him. 

Stiles watched as they walked ahead of him, his fingers interlaced with Derek’s, he never thought he’d get this, never get to be as happy as this. He knew that he’d never completely get over what Rafael had done to him, never completely get over what he’d done in return, but, he knew, the one thing that he knew with certainty was that the people around him loved him, cared for him and would never purposefully hurt him. He trusted them. They had seen every side of him, his good, his bad, his light, his dark, they knew his weaknesses, his secrets, they knew everything about him and they weren’t repulsed, they weren’t horrified, they didn’t look at him with pity. They loved him, they thought he was strong, he was brave, he was incredible. 

He watched as Scott slung an arm around Allison’s shoulders, as Lydia threaded her fingers with Jackson and linked her other arm with Isaac, Isaac was laughing at something Aiden said, while Ethan and Danny walked side-by-side behind them, Erica had scrambled onto Boyd’s back and was pointing an angel blade skyward while Sam rolled his eyes at her, turning his head to reply to something Melissa had said from where she was deep in conversation with Peter, Fang padding along the ground next to them, his head cocked listening for Stiles every few seconds. Noah was turning to talk to Dean and Cas about something that involved a lot of eyebrow raises and Stiles smiled, he turned sideways to look at Derek who seemed to be studying the pack in the same way, Stiles could almost feel the contentment Derek felt through the bond they shared and he smiled. 

“I love you Der.” Stiles grinned.

“I love you too Stiles.” Derek replied, squeezing his hand just a little tighter as they made their way back to their home.


End file.
